


Paranormal

by jamartinauthor



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, Magic, Other, Paranormal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 16:14:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 48,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20969384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamartinauthor/pseuds/jamartinauthor
Summary: Twins Paro and Norma discover an entire new world of magic, and their own place in it, when special powers develop after they find special spellbooks in their uncle's house.





	1. The Twins' Beginning

At first glance, it was hard to tell they were even related, much less siblings. However, despite their differences in behavior and appearance, Paro and Norma weren’t just siblings; they were twins. And while they didn’t have the same opinions on much, they agreed solidly on two things: they loved their mother, and they always had each other’s backs.  
Of course, this promise had times where it was put to the test. One of those times was when Paro decided to take justice into his own hands, which resulted in the twins living with their well-off (if somewhat bizarre) uncle.  
Neither twin--Paro especially--had no idea how much that would change their lives. However, the story doesn’t start with Paro himself. Rather, it starts with Norma.

When she woke up restlessly, Norma knew something was up with her brother. She didn’t know why, but Paro and her had this weird connection that let them know whenever the other was in trouble; or, in some cases, almost in trouble. With a groan, Norma had an idea of what trouble Paro would be in.  
Kicking off her comforter and kicking out her legs. Slipping on her fuzzy green slippers and walked to her brother’s room. She didn’t even bother knocking, and opened the door to see the usual mess. The only thing that was different was that Paro was in a black catsuit. Well, dash that; Paro was usually dressed in black, but he usually wore big, loose clothes. He looked like he was going to commit a heist. Knowing her brother, that wasn’t completely a dismissable thought. “Ahem,” she cleared her throat.  
Paro jumped (this was honestly something she’d never seen him do before) but kind of deflated when he realized it was her. “Hey, Norma. Is something wrong?” His voice, like usual, was monotone.  
“I don’t know, Paro. Is there? Or, rather...is there something I should know about?” She gave her brother a look.  
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Paro replied. It was amazing how suspicious he could sound while barely changing his tone of voice. Though Norma had to admit, anyone else wouldn’t look past his neutral demeanor.  
She stood in front of his dresser and crossed her arms. Despite being almost a foot taller than her and twice as muscular, Paro made no moves to try to move her. He sighed. “How’d you know?”  
“I know you, Paro. Not to mention it’s all you’ve been talking about for like a week now.” She sighed. “Look, there are a lot of things I wouldn’t put past you, and thievery is one of them, but why couldn’t you tell me?”  
“Well, I figured that you’d try to stop me. So far, I’m 100% correct,” Paro grunted. “Look, is there something you want to tell me before I leave? Because I’m leaving, whether you want me to or not.”   
“That’s fair,” Norma replied. “But I’m not here to stop you. I’m here to stop you from doing it all by yourself.” The twins locked eyes. Paro could give a good deathly glare, but by now Norma was used to it and could match with a lively scowl.  
“Fine…” Paro groaned. “But before we go I’m getting a smoke in. Get ready, and promise me you’ll dress discreetly and not like a circus side act. A good chunk of this plan depends on not get noticed, okay?” He looked her up and down, judging her spring green pajamas.  
“Geez, Paro, give me some credit,” Norma scoffed. She turned around and walked back to her room, putting on her own black catsuit. To this day, she had no idea why their uncle had sent them catsuits. Well, at least they were finally coming in handy.  
For good measure, she tied up her hair into a ponytail. It wouldn’t be a good thing if her curls got in the way. When she was ready, she found Paro in the hallway waiting for her. “I was worried that you’d sneak out without me,” she giggled.  
“No--if I’d done that I’d never hear the end of it,” he grumped. “Also, this’ll be much easier with two people.” He was trying to not tell her that he was happy she was coming along, but he could only hide so much from his sister.  
“I love you, too,” she giggled, pinching his cheek as they walked down the hall. They tiptoed past their mother’s room, then headed out the door. Paro was holding the car keys he’d snagged (Norma knew that he kept them for times like this).  
Now was the hard part; neither of them had their permits, much less their licenses. Paro kind of knew how to drive, but kind of knowing and fully knowing were two different things. Norma crossed her fingers, hoping that Paro wouldn’t wake their mother up.  
Once the car actually started, Paro backed out and pulled onto the street. “Wow,” Norma gasped. “You’re doing so much better than before!”  
Paro shrugged. “I looked up how-to-drive on Youtube and learned all that I could about driving from that.” The car suddenly swerved, and Norma practically felt her heart stop. “I’m still learning a thing or two, though…”  
“No kidding,” Norma exhaled. They then spent almost ten minutes in complete silence, avoiding looking at each other at all, until Norma commented, “how are we supposed to get the money back anyway?”  
Paro shrugged. “No clue, but if hoity-toity Mr. Roberts can keep that money somewhere, then there’s no reason that we can’t.” Mr. Roberts was their mother’s boss. A month ago, while visiting her, they’d learned that he’d been stealing half of her wages for over a year. Paro’s goal was to steal as much as he could back.  
“I suppose not...but you know they’re going to investigate…” Norma tried to keep her optimistic, peppy attitude, but she could feel a bit of anxiety peeking through.  
Paro gave one of his rare smiles, and said, “They won’t have anything to investigate if we can hide it.” He was almost sounding like a master criminal. Paro, when he was serious, could be quite terrifying.  
Norma sighed. “Paro, you scare me sometimes,” she muttered. “Other times you just give me a whopping headache. And, to be honest, I can’t tell which of those times is now.”  
“Good, means that I’m doing something right.” Paro’s voice flattened to its usual monotone. Before much longer they were at the restaurant. For a moment they stared at it in silence.  
“You ready?” Paro asked Norma.  
“No, but when has that ever stopped me?” Norma replied. “I just hope we know what we’re doing!” They shared a nod, and hopped out of the car together. From the back, Paro grabbed a book bag.  
He pulled out a grappling hook and rope, then began swinging the hook in circles, before letting go and the grappling flew up and hooked up on the edge of the roof. Next, he pulled down his face cover and Norma did the same. One after another, the twins climbed up the wall into the roof.  
“Okay, Norms. We’ve got to be completely discreet. In and out. No distractions, no vandalism, we’re going in to get the money, and then we’re leaving. Do you understand?”  
“Sure thing Peachy,” Norma replied.  
“Don’t call me Peachy.”  
“Don’t call me Norms.”  
Paro sighed and rolled his eyes. “Whatever; let’s just get on with it.” He walked up to the roof door. With a small chuckle, he pulled out his lockpick tools and got the door open. Together, Paro and Norma walked down the stairs.  
Slowly, Paro opened the door to the shop. Like he’d expected, it was empty and silent. In the dark, the place was eerie and quiet. Paro had been expecting that, too. He and Norma stepped in quietly, then walked over to the cash register.  
Immediately Paro went to lock-pick it, but Norma whispered, “wait--we know Mr. Roberts. There’s no way he’d leave a cash register without some kind of alarm.” she felt around gently, until finding a lump. She pulled a piece of gum from her pocket and chewed it, before sticking it on.  
“We have to open and shut the drawer slowly. The gum is putting pressure on the alarm, but if it’s knocked off, we’re pretty much screwed.” She stood back and let Paro work his magic.  
When the drawer opened, Paro braced his hands and kept it from shooting out. Norma, even though in the back of her mind she was screaming not to, opened up a bag she brought. Paro began pulling out the money--it wasn’t a huge amount comparatively, but Norma knew that if they could pull this off more than once, they’d get the money in no time.  
She also knew that each time they did it, it would get harder the next time. Paro finished, saying, “Done.” he pushed the drawer shut before Norma could shout a warning.  
Immediately, a loud alarm blared, causing the twins to wince and cover their ears. Norma recovered first and with panic she told Paro, “Come on!” She grabbed onto the rope, but immediately, there were police sirens.  
“Oh no…” Paro groaned.

It was a dream.  
It was a dream.  
I don’t have dreams.  
It wasn’t a dream. Paro woke up in a jail cell. Norma was in the cell across from him, sitting quietly and looking strangely relieved. Last night was such a blur, he couldn’t remember anything past taking the money.  
“Ugh...Norma...what happened?” He asked.  
Norma looked up at him and the relief changed to annoyance and disdain. “Your plan failed, dear brother. We were caught and arrested. And if I end up dying in prison, I swear I’m going to haunt you past the grave.”  
“Fair enough,” Paro yawned. “About how long are they planning to arrest us for?”  
“Don’t know. Haven’t seen anyone since last night.” Right after Norma said it, there was an unlocking noise and a police officer walked in.  
“Good news, kids. We’ve worked something out with Mr. Roberts. You two aren’t going to prison, luckily for you.” He unlocked the cell doors, and the twins stepped out.  
They walked together at the front of police station, where their mother was waiting. She didn’t look happy at all--not that Paro could blame her. What mother would want to see her children in jail? The look on her face was more than just disappointment. There was fear, unlike any Paro had seen before.  
He looked at Norma. For some reason, the differences between the two of them stood out to him more than ever. Norma was blonde with tan skin and light gray eyes. She usually wore dresses that were simple but pretty. Paro had black hair and brown eyes, and he was always in his black hoodie. The only things the twins had in common were their braces and freckles.  
They both had pendants which they’d had since birth. THey were as different from each other as the twins were. Norma’s was shaped like a small white flower, while Paro’s was an angular black skull.  
Their mother had brown hair and green eyes. Her pendant was a green crystal heart lined with silver. “Thank you, officer,” she said. She grabbed the twins’ hands and pulled them out the door.  
When they were driving, she asked, “What do you two have to say for yourselves?”  
“We didn’t do it.” Paro replied.  
Norma elbowed him and their mother glared in the rearview mirror. “Do you think this is some kind of joke, Paro?”  
“If I did I’d be laughing,” Paro replied.  
“Be serious, Paro, you never laugh.”  
“Maybe I just laugh when you’re not around.” This wasn’t true--Paro actually never laughed. Or, he hadn’t for the longest time at least. However, if anyone mentioned it, he’d deny the fact. People generally found him difficult in that sense.  
“Look, Paro, this is a serious situation and I’d appreciate it if you’d stop antagonizing me!” the twins’ mother snapped. Paro blink ed in surprise. Even when she was upset, his mother had always taken his stubbornness in stride. This was unnerving at the very least for Paro. This means she was more upset than ever.  
“I’m...sorry, Mom,” Paro told her. For once, he wished he didn’t have such a dry, sarcastic-sounding voice, because even his most sincere apologies sounded fake. And, also, this wasn’t a completely sincere apology anyway.  
“Paro...I wish I could believe you,” their mother sighed. “However, you’ve long proven that you won’t learn from your actions. That’s why--for the time being--you both will be living with your Uncle Al for the time being.”  
“WHAT!?” Norma practically screamed.   
“You can’t be serious,” Paro added.  
“I can be, and I am,” their mother insisted. “Look, I was intending on seeing him anyway, but this leaves me no other choice! I have to work twice as much, while only working on half the pay! I can’t afford you two to stay with me for right now, especially if the two of you keep pulling stunts like this!”  
“So you’re sending us to the brother you never talk about in an entirely different state, where we know absolutely no one--aside from your strange brother--and know absolutely nothing.” Paro replied dryly. “What exactly are you hoping to achieve by this?”  
“I’m trying to reachieve the normalcy that the two of you have managed to toss to the wind by taking matters into your own hands!” Their mother snapped. “The two of you will be staying with Al until my deal is finished with Mr. Roberts and Al feels you two have properly learned your lesson in responsibility. And, of course, if you want to come back.”  
“Why wouldn’t we want to come back?” Norma asked with confusion. “Why wouldn’t we want to come back home? Mom...that doesn’t make any sense. Wouldn’t you want us to come home?” Paro had to admit--she sounded hurt. And knowing Norma, it wasn’t likely that she was faking it.  
“Norma, trust me, things are never what they seem--you’ll learn this soon enough. And Paro, you’ll see that your pessimistic attitude is doing you twice as much harm than it is good.” The twins shared a look; their mother had cryptic moments like this sometimes, but they never became less confusing. Paro saw Norma’s eyes water a bit and he sighed.  
“Mom, there’s got to be another way,” he said. Long ago, they’d learned that when Norma got emotional, their mother would listen to Paro--his calmness made him seem like a voice of reason.  
“No Paro. This time, there isn’t.” Not another word was uttered between the three of them the rest of the way home.

“Get packed; you’re leaving tomorrow morning.” their mother told them. “It’s a five-hour flight and Al will meet you at the airport when you land. If I get any word that you two didn’t arrive or snuck off, then your reckoning will be long and painful.” Now, anyone aside from the twins might see this as a serious threat, but Paro and Norma knew that she merely meant that they’d be grounded for a ‘painfully’ long time. However, no punishment seemed comparable to the banishment their mother was suggesting.  
Norma looked at Paro pleadingly, but he shook his head. There was nothing he could do now.

Franny Jones hated to do this. Paro and Norma had always been a bit odd, but everyone in the town had grown to appreciate their eccentricities. At the convenience store, a friend of Paro’s bought him cigarettes (Franny didn’t like him smoking, but it was better than the trouble he’d otherwise get into). Norma had gardens all over town and people would always stop and help her maintain them (though she prioritized her flowers over school).  
She knew that Al would put their safety and care above all else, but going to a town where they weren’t quite ready for the twins was going to be tough. However, this was something they needed, whether they knew or not. She just hoped that when the time came, they’d forgive her.  
With the twins upstairs, Franny pulled out her phone and dialed. The phone rang for a moment, before she heard, “Jones and Franklin Law, this is Jessica speaking. How can I help you?”  
“Hi, Jess, it’s Franny. Can I speak to Al, please?” Franny asked.  
“Yes, of course. Hey, Al!” Franny heard her call out. “Your sister’s on the phone! I’m gonna transfer it to you!” Then she said, “He’ll be with you in just a moment.”  
“Alright. Thanks Jess! Have a wonderful day!”  
“You too, Franny!” Jess replied. Franny and Jess had never met in person, but Al had shown Franny pictures of her. Franny had hoped to meet her--maybe in the future.  
“Franny?” she heard Al ask. “What’s up?”  
“Just letting you know that the twins are getting ready. The flight’s at nine, right?” It was either nine or six. Al had sent in numerical form, but Franny alway had trouble with numbers.  
“Yes, at nine,” Al replied. “How did the twins handle the news?”  
“They’re not happy,” Franny sighed. “I’ve never seen Paro so upset before. You know it’s bad when he starts cracking jokes. Norma...she seems like she’s on the brink of tears. I really wish I could have gone with them…”  
“Franny, I know. Sometimes, though, these things are out of control. Honestly, I feel bad that I didn’t make a note of this...maybe things would have gone differently.” Al sounded dejected.  
“Al, you did what you could. It’s thanks to you that the twins are arriving at all. And while my boss is a jerk, he still has a heart. After a year I’m scot-free, and maybe I can come myself.” Franny assured him. “And I don’t want you to write anything in that book unless it’s absolutely necessary--this is coming from your big sister.”  
She heard Al chuckle. “Alright, sis. But I need you to confirm--are you positive that the twins are restless because of the...you-know-whats? I mean, they could be a couple of angsty teenagers.” Al didn’t want to separate Franny and the twins anymore than Franny did.  
“Al, the twins haven’t had them in ten years; I’m more than positive that it’s the restlessness from being separated for so long. They need them back; they need to know. And your town has more people like them than nearly everywhere else. Also, they’ll be the safest with you.” Franny explained. “They’re too inexperienced for their age. They need someone wise and powerful; i.e. you.”  
“Very well. I keep them in the attic. Sooner or later, the twins will find them. I’ve got their room set up, but I’m renovating the basement. Don’t want them wandering around in there.”  
“Sounds good to me. I’ll try to convince my boss to let me visit for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Anyway, bye! Love you! And I’ll talk to you tomorrow!”  
“Love you, too. Talk to you tomorrow! And don’t worry--I’ll do everything in my power to keep them safe. I have a client coming in so bye!” Al hang up.  
“I know you will…” Franny sighed.

Norma couldn’t sleep, so she packed. When she was packed, she still couldn’t keep her eyes closed. Something that always comforted her was talking with Paro, but she wasn’t even sure he’d be willing to talk to her. She’d been...less than friendly with him last time they were alone together. Taking a deep breath, she knocked and asked, “Paro?”  
“Door’s unlocked,” Paro’s deadpan voice replied. Well, he sounded no less welcoming, so that was a good sign at least. She opened the door to find him sitting on his bed, his window open, smoking a cigarette. Paro was a lot of things, but he was considerate that neither his mother nor sister liked the smell of tobacco smoke.  
However, when he saw Norma, he held out his pack and asked, “Want one?”  
“No thanks--you know I don’t smoke, Paro.”  
“Yeah, but it’d be impolite not to offer. Also, with how stressed you’ve been I figured that you’d might like one.” He put them to the side and set his cigarette in his ashtray. “So what’s up?”  
Norma walked over to his bed. “Can I sit?”  
“Knock yourself out,” Paro replied. Norma nodded and sat. They just sat in silence for a few seconds, before Paro took another puff. Paro didn’t like initiating conversations, so they both knew that sooner or later Norma would have say something.  
She started with, “Paro, I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you--not really. I was just upset at our situation and I let my emotions get out of control. You were smart enough to come up with an idea to try to help our family. I should have been more supportive of that.”  
“I’m not mad either. You were supportive and you did a lot to help. I still triggered the alarm, though. Not you. You had every right to be upset and I won’t demonize you for it. I feel...really bad though…” Paro’s voice had an emotion she’d never heard from him--sadness. This was upsetting him more than Norma had realized. “Norma...I’m scared.”  
Suddenly, everything changed. Norma knew that Paro relied on her for positivity, and she couldn’t let him down. “You know, Mom doesn’t talk about Al that often, but he does say he’s really nice. And he’ got a nice big house, too. I’m sure that his town’s really nice and we’ll make new friends in no time.” In a strange way, she believed it herself. Their mother had nothing but good things to say about Al, though she’d never been to the town, it was different from the city they lived in. But in a good way, though.  
“Norma, are you scared?” Paro asked. His voice was calm and dry as usual; this was the voice that always got the truth from Norma.   
“Yes, I’m afraid,” she replied. “I’m completely terrified, Paro. I don’t want to do this either, but we need to make the best of this situation, no matter how bad it is.”  
Paro nodded. “We get to come back when Al decides we’re ready, right? When we’ve learned our lesson. Norma, I promise that for as long as we’re there, I’ll be on my best behavior until we can come back.”  
“I don’t know, Paro. Wouldn’t it be suspicious if you lost your typical sardonic and dour look on things? It’d be like me suddenly listening to heavy metal and commenting how gloomy the world is.”  
Paro cracked a small grin. “I said I’d be on my best behavior, not my best attitude. Trust me, I’m not gonna change a single thing.” He puffed again. “If everything works out, then maybe we’ll be home before the end of summer vacation. It’s only July, after all.” It was rare for Paro to be this positive and it was refreshing. He put his cigarette down and pulled Norma close. He kissed her forehead and held her. “We should get to sleep; we want to be ready for tomorrow.”  
Norma nodded. “Thanks Paro.” She got up and walked out, stopping briefly to look at her brother. Paro was staring out the window, looking ghostly in the moonlight. His piercings were shining, and he was pale blue looking. He was so punkish and rude that it was easy to forget how sad he could be. She only hoped that Al wouldn’t deem him too crazy at first appearance. It wouldn’t be fair to him.  
Norma would have Paro’s back no matter what.

Their mother was nice enough to let them say goodbye to their friends before they left. Norma’s friends fell over each other crying, while Paro just shared a silent cigarette with his. Paro’s best friend commented, “Man...can’t believe you have to leave. Sucks. Who else is gonna hang out with us?”  
“You’ll find someone, dude. Besides, it’s not permanent. At least, I don’t think it is. Anyway, Lou, it’s nearly time to go. Don’t summon any demons without me, kay?” He held his fist out and his friend bumped it.  
When Norma and her friends were done crying, Norma’s best friend sniffled. “What about the community garden, Norma? Or the Animal Shelter? WHAT ABOUT THE PUPPIES!?”  
“It’ll be okay, Lana,” Norma reassured. “You work on those gardens as hard as I do. Paro doesn’t think it’ll be permanent, and Mom’s already said that we’ll definitely visit. Please don’t be sad…” They hugged, before Paro tapped Norma’s shoulder.  
“Norma? Mom’s waiting in the car,” Paro told her. “I hate to say it, but it’s time to go.” He sounded sad, but just as calm as usual. Norma nodded, her heart falling. Hanging her head. Together, the twins climbed into the car behind their mother.  
As they drove off, the twins turned and waved goodbye to their friends.

After a half hour’s drive, Paro, Norma, and their mother were standing at the airport terminal with their bags ready. “This is it,” Paro stated. “The end of our lives. The judgment has come and it is here to claim our lives.”  
“Don’t be so dramatic, Paro,” their mother scoffed. “Your lives aren’t over. You’re just moving to a new city. People do this all the time and it doesn’t kill them. Plus, Al is very excite to see you two again.”  
Norma took a deep breath. “It’s not the end, it’s a new beginning!” she exclaimed. “Also, we get to ride on an airplane! How cool is that!” She patted Paro’s arm in excitement. Paro didn’t say anything, but he scoffed and rolled his eyes.  
“Flight 1A-C ready for departure,” A serene female’s voice said over the intercom. Paro and Norma shared a look.  
“That’s us,” Paro told his sister. The two of them hugged their mother, then turned and walked through the gate. Norma kept close to Paro, trying her hardest not to cry. Little did she know that Paro wasn't doing much better than she was.

It was a long flight, but Norma was prepared with lots of reading material. Paro had prepared by putting in his earbuds, cranking up his tunes, and closing his eyes. By the end, Norma had finished three more books in her series and Paro had played through all of his favorite albums. It was almost enough to distract them from the situation--almost.  
After getting through the gate, Paro immediately groaned. “So...we’re here. What exactly are we supposed to be doing again?”  
“Looking for Uncle Al,” Norma reminded him. “Mom said that he’d be waiting for us in the airport, remember?” She was scanning around for him but was otherwise having no luck.  
“Right. He’s waiting. The uncle who we’ve only ever seen pictures of and who’s only seen pictures of us. The same uncle who we only met once when we were five. It’s not like he’s going to be waving around a sign that says ‘Paro and Norma.’” Paro sighed.  
“You’re right, he’s not waving a sign,” Norma agreed. She pointed ahead. “He’s waving a poster.” Paro looked, and then groaned. Now that Norma had pointed him out, Paro couldn’t understand how he hadn’t noticed Al before.  
Seeing him, Norma called, “Uncle Al!”  
“Norma! Paro!” Al shouted. He ran up to them and scooped them both in a hug. Al was a tall, strong man with ash-blonde hair and gray eyes. Strangely enough, Al was still dressed in a suit, even though the twins’ mother had told them he’d taken the day off. He was strong enough to pick up both the twins (which was a feet, because neither of them could considered small). Up close, Paro noticed that Al’s face was a freckled as his own and Norma’s.  
When Al finally set them down, there were a considerable amount of people staring. Paro pushed Al before saying, “I, uh, have to go to the bathroom.” He walked off and found a single person restroom. He shut and locked the door, before bracing himself at the mirror. His heading was spinning and his legs were shaking. Rarely did Paro feel strong emotions, but when he did, it always overwhelming and left him feeling sick afterwards.  
“Knock, knock, knock,” Norma was the only person Paro knew that announced her knocking.  
“Occupied,” Paro groaned.  
“Paro, can you please let me in? Are you alright?” Running off probably hadn’t been the best idea, but there was no turning Norma away when thing like this happened. With a sigh, he unlocked the door and let her in.  
“Norma, when am I ever alright?” Paro asked. “But...this time I’m considerably not alright. I feel...weird and wrong with Al. Something about him throws me off. Isn’t kind of strange how he’s this enthusiastic meeting us?”  
“Um...not really?” Norma answered. “Mom did say that Al was excited to meet us. But I felt weird, too. I can’t remember the last time we saw Al, but it almost feels like he has something we’ve been missing. Maybe you feel so weird because you’re happy?”  
Happiness was an emotion he felt as weakly as the rest, so it wasn’t impossible. He shrugged, replying, “That might be it, heck if I know. Now, um, can you leave? I wasn’t lying when I said I had to go to the bathroom.”  
Norma nodded. “Keep your head up, alright? Everything will be fine.” she paused, before adding, “Even if meeting him felt weird, I can tell that he’s genuinely happy to see us again. I think we owe it to him and Mom with all the trouble we’ve caused.” With a small smile, Norma shut the door, leaving Paro to himself.

Though she knew Paro hated being told what to do, Norma still felt a responsibility to let him know when he needed to think about what he was doing. When she found Al again, he was sitting down, staring into space, looking slightly downtrodden. Coming up next to him, she covered his eyes with her hands. “Guess who!”  
“Norma?” Al chuckled. “Hey, is everything alright with Paro? I got excited, and your mother says I have a tendency to get over enthusiastic.” He seemed sheepish, but sincere. Norma chuckled. He was big and intimidating, but he was a cutie, too.  
“Paro’s fine. I’m sure that you know how it is after a long flight. Paro might be off putting at first, an second, and pretty much the whole time you know him, but he’s actually a sweetheart deep down.” She sat next to Al. “I’m curious about how you live! Mom says you’re super rich!”  
Al chuckled with embarrassment. “Well, being a lawyer does have some financial benefits, but I’m not super rich. Luckily, I’m rich enough to help support Franny through all of this. I’m sure you both will be comfortable while you’re here.” Norma smiled at him, and he returned it as Paro came back.  
“Okay, I’m ready.” Paro told them. He then added, “It’s not a long car ride, is it?”  
Al shrugged. “It’s definitely not a short one,” he chuckled.  
Paro groaned. “I knew it…” he mumbled.

The car ride was about half an hour. Norma and Al talke while Paro brooded in the corner. Norma was surprised that Paro hadn’t stepped out for a cigarette yet. Though Paro had some notably odd smoking habits, he never broke away from them. He always smoked after a stressful situation. Norma gasped. Unless the situation isn’t over, she realized. She looked back at Paro, who was listlessly looking out the window.  
“Here we are!” Al told them. Both twins looked up and gasped. His house wasn’t a mansion, but it was way larger than any either of them had seen. He had acres in just his lawn. Norma was speechless. Al was way better off than her family had been. Also, the house was visibly...old. It had a kind of victorian charm to it, with modern additions and extensions.  
Al parked in front of the garage, then the twins climbed out and grabbed their bags. “Home sweet home!” Al announced. “This house has been our family for centuries. I...may have modernized it some, but the original charm still remains.” They walked inside to a spacious, but comfortable foyer. It was nearly impossibly clean, but they’d been told Al was somewhat of a neat freak.  
“There are several spare rooms, so each of you can take your pick. You’re free to look around the house, but please be aware that I use the attic as my personal study and that the basement is currently under renovation. I don’t mind you looking in the attic, but please refrain from going into the basement at the time being, alright?” Al smiled. “I know it’s early, but I have the feeling you’re tired from your flight. Want to order a pizza?”  
“Oo, sounds yummy!” Norma giggled.  
“Fine by me,” Paro agreed monotonously. He started up the stairs with his bags. Norma looked at Al, who was looking disheartened.  
“Trust me, he’s always like this,” Norma promised. “It’ nothing personal. Paro will just need some time to warm up to you. I think he actually likes you, but Paro’s always had a problem with emotions. People have questioned if he actually has them.”  
Al sighed. “It wasn’t that way the last time I saw you two. It’s been such a long time.” He then gave a half-hearted laugh and added, “why don’t you pick out your room?”

Paro and Norma’s rooms were closest to the hallway, next to the stairs. They were across the hallway from each other, just like they’d been back at their home. After Pari got done unpacking he heard a call of “pizza!”  
The three of them ate their pizzas in the living room while watching a movie. Paro sat on the floor while Norma and Al lounge on the couch. The movie was one of the twins’ favorites--a fantasy story about a set of twins with opposing magic who eventually worked everything out.  
“I can’t believe you like this movie, too!” Norma laughed before taking another bite. The toppings were another mutual favorite of the twins--mushroom, onion, and sausage.  
Al shrugged. “People say I’m too old for these kinds of things, but I find it enjoyable. It’s not like watching cartoons makes me any less of a capable lawyer. Did you hear they’re making a sequel next year?”  
“Oh my gosh, yes! I’m so excited!” Norma giggled.  
Paro turned and calmly shushed them. “It’s the best part.” He gave a small grin. “Also, this pizza is delicious. Thank you, Uncle Al.” He silently turned back and watched the movie. His discomfort was subsiding, but he was very tired and in need of a cigarette. He also felt like he could use a shower.  
With a yawn, he stood and said, “I think I’m gonna get ready for bed. Jet lag, am I right?” he stretched and headed upstairs. Norma was right, Al was genuinely happy to see them. It didn’t deter the fact that they were still being punished, though. Paro thought about it as he took a shower and got into his pajamas, but as he went to open his bedroom door he heard a faint voice whisper, Paro…  
“The fuck?” Paro asked. He looked around in confusion, then turned back to his door when he didn’t hear anything.  
As soon as he did, the same voice whispered, Paro, find me… this whisper was playful, kind of like how Norma usual was. He looked down the hallway at the doorway to the attic.  
“Norma, are you messing with me?” He asked. He walked down the hallway to the door. It was dark up the stairs, but Paro flipped the lights on, expecting to find Norma on the stairs. When she wasn’t there, he groaned. “Norma, this isn’t funny.”  
Come up and find me the voice teased. Okay, this was definitely not Norma. However, he was too deep into this to turn back. He walked up the stairs to the attic. It was cleaner than any other attic he’d seen, an it had a desk and two bookshelves. It was carpeted, and well lit. It almost didn’t look like an attic.  
That wasn’t the problem; the problem was that there was no one else up there with him. “This is too freaky,” he muttered, “but...well, it’s interesting, I guess.” Paro looked around at the books. Well, Paro liked books well enough. He walked up to one of the shelves and read the spines.  
His fingers brushed up against a soft, almost velvety leather. He looked at a pitch black, leather book with gold on the edges. It felt like leather, but it was stiff like a hardback book. It had a gray leather strap on it. Paro usually wasn’t curious, but something about this book was familiar...and intriguing. He felt weird, but he pulled the book slowly from the shelf. It was fairly large and heavy, like a moderately sized textbook, but nothing special (aside from the gold). Then he turned it around and gasped. On the cover was a large stone, set in gold. He brushed his finger and it moved a bit, like it was loose. It was shaped exactly like Paro’s pendant. Larger, but it was a black angular skull with white triangular features. Paro held up his pendant and compared it. It was uncanny, but he’d never seen this book before. Why was it so familiar and similar, then?  
Something felt weird, though. He turned around and looked back at the shelf, noticing a white book that looked like the one Paro was holding. It had silver instead of gold, but it had the same uncanny familiarity. He walked back and pulled it off. It was the same size and weight as Paro’s, but was bleached white. He notice that the corners were shape slightly like flowers. It had the same gray leather strap as Paro’s. He held his breath as he turned it around. As he was expecting, it had a flower that matched Norma’s pendant. It had white, round petals with a black circular center. It was set in silver, but didn’t feel loose.  
It was weird; side-by-side, they were strikingly similar. They were definitely more similar than the actual twins themselves. Paro was equal parts weirded out and fascinated, but he knew one person who’d be just as creeped out and intrigued. Holding both books, he came down to the hallway and knocked on Norma’s door. “Yes?” she asked, before opening it. Her hair was up and she was in her nightshirt and pants. “Paro, please tell me you have a good reason for bothering me this late at night?”  
Paro, without a word, pulled the white book from behind his back and held it out to her. Norma’s eyebrows furrowed and her eyes squinted. “Paro...is this a joke or…?”  
Still silent, Paro held out the black book. Norma looked from the black book to the white one, her expression getting more and more perplexed. “Okay, this is both fascinating and weird,” she commented.  
“I was thinking the same thing,” Paro quietly agreed. He turned around. “Night, Norma!”  
“Wait, what am I supposed to do with this?”  
“Same thing you do with any book. Try reading it. It might just be a journal or something,” he turned and gave Norma an intense look. “Or it may contain things about us we never even knew.” He snickered. “See ya tomorrow!” When he shut his door, he sighed. Joking was hard.  
He climbed onto his bed and tried opening the book. The leather strap was tight, and he couldn’t pry the pages open. He pulled and pulled, but nothing happened. He noticed that the strap seemed to be connected to the stone on cover, and it seemed to jiggle like a loose tooth. Paro focused on the stone, trying to push it in with his thumbs. It didn’t work. He tried his fist, didn’t work. In frustration, he pushed his palm against it and he heard it click.  
For a moment he was elated, then the leather turned from gray to deadly, crumbling black while chain-like lines drew themselves from the leather strap, before creeping onto Paro’s skin. It wasn’t painful, but it felt like his skin was crawling up his arms. His body shivered and his eyes twitched. When his eyes stopped, the leather was gone, as were the chains. Also, the stone was set, finally.  
With a sigh, Paro opened to the first page, which was blank. Then he flipped to the second, third, fourth. All of them were completely blank. “Oh, well I guess it is just a journal. What do I write? ‘Hi Journal’?”  
Immediately, the page read Hi Paro.  
With a small yelp he dropped it, but then opened it again. Hi Paro, I’m your book. I’m excited to be talking to you. How are you?  
“Um...a book is talking to me...and now I’m talking to a book. So, um, I’m a little freaked out.”  
Understandable. It’s been much too long, honestly. So, I feel that you need some sort explanation, don’t you? Ahem, here I go. You, Paro Jones, are a Paranormal. Paranormals maintain the balance between the mundane and supernatural. I am your book, a companion and rather like your teacher. First rule: you can’t tell anyone about being a Paranormal. Humans can’t fully comprehend the supernatural and that would disrupt the balance.But don’t worry, Paro. There are others out there. You are not alone.  
“Wait, what the heck is that supposed to mean?”  
Please direct any other questions to your uncle. Goodnight!  
The light flickered off.  
“Hey!!” Paro protested. Frustrated, he fell asleep.

Norma woke up invigorated with new energy. The idea of being a Paranormal excited her. She couldn’t wait to see what kind of powers she had. Since Paro had a book, too, than this meant he had to be a Paranormal, too! Like the book had suggested, she was going to talk to Al. Is he a Paranormal, too?  
She hopped out her bed and got her stuff for a shower. She and Paro had it worked out that she took showers in the morning and he took them at night (since Paro slept in till noon). In the shower, she sang to herself, unable to withhold her excitement.  
After she was done, she put on her favorite green dress. Smiling, she turned to see how she looked in the mirror. Immediately, her excitement turned to shock and she screamed. After a moment, there was a knock on the door. “Norma, what’s wrong?” she heard Paro ask.  
Opening the door with shaking hands, she looked from behind it and said, “My hair is white!” She saw Paro and gasped. “Paro! Your eyes!” Neither of them looked the same. Paro’s black hair now faded to purple, while his buzz was completely purple. His eyes had black irises and white pupils. Norma’s blonde hair had turned most white, fading to green. Her eyes were white, with silver rings around her pupils.  
“I think Al has some explaining to do,” Paro commented holding his sister. Norma nodded as the shock subsided, leaving her drained. They walked downstairs to find Al frying bacon and making pancakes.  
Looking up, he said, “I heard the scream. Do you have your books?”  
“What kind of question is that?” Paro asked.  
“Paro, why don’t go grab them while Norma sits.” Al suggested.  
Paro sat Norma down, and she watched him go upstairs. “Are you okay?” Al asked her.  
“Drained. Just drained. I feel like I could go back to sleep.” she replied. “I was not expecting my hair to turn white. Or Paro’s eyes to turn black. I read the book last night and I got so excited about these new magic powers it was talking about.”  
“I understand.” In a moment, Paro came down with the books, handing Norma hers. Immediately, before Paro made any snide comments, Al said, “I apologize that your mother and I couldn’t tell you before. With your powers sealed, it would have been dangerous.”  
“Was that the leather straps on the books?” Norma asked.  
Al nodded. “My specialty.” He brushed his hair, and as the twins watched, it turned-silvery gray with stripes of whitish-gray. His eyes were gray, but with whitish-gray pupils. “I kept your books safe until you two were ready to learn about your powers. Your mother is hoping you two learn to use them properly, so training will be part of your stay here.”  
“If we can control our powers you’ll send us home?” Paro asked. “Sounds like a deal.”   
Al shook his head and chuckled. “First of all, controlling your powers is just one aspect of the training. Also, aside from your powers you two actively committed a crime, so that’s that. You two need to prove that you have control over your powers and yourselves. Until you’ve proven that you can control both and no cause irreparable damage, then you can leave.”  
“‘Irreparable’ sounds a bit harsh,” Norma pouted.  
“Look, your powers were sealed for a reason. Also, you two have pretty muched sentenced your mother to slave labor back home. All I’m saying is I need you two to be more careful and thoughtful about what you do, especially since you have your powers now.” He cleared his throat. “You two get dressed and head outside. I’ll finish breakfast, but try to get more information about your powers from your books, okay?”  
Paro and Norma nodded, then started to head upstairs. “Oh! One more thing!” The twins stopped and looked at him. “No matter what happens, do not let go of your books again. Now that you’re Paranormals, those books are your most valuable possessions, understand?”  
Paro blinked. “No. How can our most valuable possessions be books?” He turned his around in his hands. “I mean, it’s cool, but it doesn’t seem that valuable.”  
“Fine, then hand yours over,” Al told him. Shrugging, Paro handed Al his book. Al then said, “Now stand on your head.”  
With shock, Norma watched her brother flip on his head and do a headstand. “Now act like a chicken.” Paro flipped back over and began bucking and clucking like a chicken. Now, if it were anyone else it would have been funny, but seeing her serious and generally humorless brother acting this way was kind of scary. “Freeze.” Paro became as stiff as a statue. Al handed Paro back his book and Paro relaxed.  
Simultaneously, the twins asked, “What was that!?”  
Al answered, “Your books have a strong power over you. Anyone who has your book has complete control over you. You won’t be able to resist any order they give you. Also, your book holds all the magic and techniques for your powers. If you want to use your powers, then your books will be your guide. So, unless you have means to keep the book safe, keep it on you at all times, alright?”  
The twins nodded. “Now go get changed, I’ve got cooking to do.” Without a word, the twins ran upstairs, got dressed, and ran outside. With her new powers, Norma felt a tingling on her skin, like she could almost feel the life energy of the plants around her.  
“This is incredible!” she laughed. “Isn’t it incredible, Paro?”  
“I feel sick, honestly,” Paro drily answered, “Like I can feel the life draining from the world around me. It’s like gravity is twice as strong, and has its shackles on me--cold and unbreakable.”  
Paro could be gloomy sometimes, but that was downright morbid. Norma asked, “Paro, are you alright?”  
He nodded. “Honestly, I feel more like myself now,” he calmly replied. Stretching, he commented, “Why don’t we sit at that bench? This has been a lot to take in the last few days and I think I need to just sit down a moment.”  
“Okay,” Norma agreed. Together, the two of them walked to the center of the garden and sat on a stone bench. Al certainly had a taste for style; everything was elegant and beautiful. Simultaneously, they sat down and opened their books.  
Hello again, Norma, the book told her.  
Hi again, Norma thought. Can you hear me when I talk in my head?  
Yes, of course! The book replied enthusiastically. We’re connected, after all. So, you know about everything with the books and Paranormals? Well, I’m here to help guide you through using your powers. You are the Paranormal of Life, and your brother is the Paranormal of Death. Though opposites, you strengthen each other.  
Norma and Paro shared a look. Judging on Paro’s expression, he was thinking the same thing she was. Turning back to her book, she thought, So, do you have a name? It seems kind of unfair to just to call you ‘the book’.  
Lumeria, the book replied. Your pendant is Photonus. We’re your lifelong companions. So...thank you for asking. I can’t wait to work together. Lumeria drew a smiley face. I’ll be sure to help you unlock the full potential of your powers.  
Sounds amazing! Norma thought. Is there any spells or powers that I can use right now? As Lumeria began writing, Paro suddenly pushed Norma to the side. A whip cracked, splitting the bench they’d been sitting on into two pieces. Norma clutched her book tight and twisted around to see two figures standing above her.  
One was a slim blond boy who looked older than the two of them. He was in a red tee-shirt and black-red pants with chains. His hair was tangled and messy, and he had the cockiest grin. Next to him was a gruff-looking man with a whip. Looking at the two of them, the man grunted, “Seems like our new rabbits are alert already,” he commented.  
Paro stood and growled. “I hate rabbits.” Flinging his arm forward, he shouted, “Deathly Beam!” A sphere of black energy surrounded Paro’s hand, and a stream blasted the man, knocking him back.  
“Hey!” The boy shouted. He leapt in the air and tried to aim a punch directly at Paro’s face.  
“No!” Norma shouted. Suddenly, a soft and sweet voice whispered, Try the lively sphere, in Norma’s head. She felt energy gather into her hand, and a white light grew as she shouted, “Lively Sphere!”  
She threw the energy ball at the boy, knocking him off course and into the hedges. Suddenly she had an idea. She reached out her senses and connected with the tingling life energy of the hedge the boy was on. Curling her fingers, she commanded the hedge to hold him down. The brambles began moving. “Hey!” he shouted, pulling them off. Each bramble he snapped sent a shot of pain through Norma’s body.  
“Marshall! Stop playing around!” The man shouted.  
“I’m trying, Dad! That dumb girl is controlling this thing to hold me down!” The boy shouted back.  
The man turned and faced Norma. She was already feeling fatigued from controlling the hedge, and the look he was giving her didn’t seem promising. He readied his whip and flicked it at Norma. Norma flinched. It knocked her book into the air. Norma gasped, losing her focus. Marshall broke out of the hedge and leapt up to catch it.  
Without a word, a black chain shot from Paro’s hand and caught the book in the air, creating a book-sized shackle. Paro yanked it towards himself, catching it and tossing it back to Norma. Marshall, in surprise, crashed to the ground. Paro and Norma stood their ground together as the man helped Marshall up. It was a faceoff between the four of them; the twins vs. these strangers.  
Try summoning the Vitality Staff. You’ll be able to mold it to what you need it to be. The voice whispered in her head again. Focus on the life energy around and make into a solid form.  
Norma did what the voice told her, and felt the tingling of the living things around her. The tingling ran across her body, running to her hands. She felt it strengthen and solidify in her hands. When she opened her eyes, she was holding a long, glowing white staff topped with a green spherical jewel, set in place by small petals.  
Apparently frustrated by the waiting, Marshall growled and jumped into the air. Norma, without thinking, reacted--the staff to the shape of a shepherd's crook and she pulled Marshall to the ground with a loud thump. The man flicked his whip again, but was intercepted with black chains. The two strangers glared at the twins--the opponents were chosen.  
Marshall bellowed and ran at Norma. He was faster than she’d have guessed, being this thin. Then again he’d also been pulling some pretty high jumps--jumps she’d only seen acrobats pull off. She reacted again--this time her staff grew longer, losing the decorations. She held it out as Marshall struck. It bent, before rebounding and throwing him off. He tumbled back to the ground with an “oomph!”  
He got up, grunting, “You’re pretty good for a newbie. However, I have more than a few years of experience doing this. It’s been fun, but now it’s time to get serious.” Marshall crossed his arms, and a red aura ignited around him. A necklace that Norma hadn’t noticed began floating up and glowing a light shade of red.  
Shouting an incoherent scream, Marshall threw his hands forward. His red energy took the shape of a giant, squarish fist that was flying right at Norma. This didn’t look like anything she could deflect so she closed her eyes and focused.  
It was like time slowed down. She squatted down with the grace of a ballerina. As she heard the humming, her eyes snapped open and she leapt into the air, twisting and curling in the air. “Lively change…” she muttered, brushing the fist with her hand. When she landed, the fist exploded into glowing white petals.  
Matching Marshall’s shocked jaw with a cocky grin, she said, “You might have experience, but I listen to my heart. So, do you want to continue this dance, or do you want me to let you off easy?”  
Marshall was shaking with anger. His red aura burned like fire, before suddenly, it went out and he collapsed. The man, who was in a tug-of-war match with Paro, looked and gasped, “Marshall!” In the blink of an eye, a card like a tarot or playing card broke through Paro’s chains, throwing Paro back. Like a whirlwind, the man was kneeling next to Marshall.  
Looking up and glaring with cold, dark blue eyes, he said, “What interesting prey. It seems you two will be a catch worth fighting for. Know this, however--I, Ender, never lose the hunt. We will be meeting again.” He snapped his fingers, and in a whirlwind of cards, they disappeared.  
Both of the twins fell. Norma felt like she’d just run a mile in lead shoes, and rested on her knees. Paro, who normally looked tired, seemed flat-out exhausted. He was lying on the ground, barely moving. “Paro…” Norma grunted, standing on wobbly legs and tottering over to him. She tried helping him stand, but her legs were too weak, and she collapsed next to him.  
“What happened out here!?” Al’s shocked voice half-yelled. He walked to where the twins were lying on the ground. Looking down at the two of them, he scolded, “I told you two to try to figure out your powers, not tear my garden to shreds!”  
“We were...attacked…” Paro panted.  
“By some guy named Ender,” Norma added with a yawn.  
Al sighed. “I was afraid of this. Fateful Rewind,” he stated. Norma felt her energy surge back, and she and Paro were lifted off the ground. The garden mended itself, with pieces of dirt, flowers, and stone flying back into place. Norma looked and saw Al holding up his hand--a symbol of three interlocked gray rings.  
When everything was back to normal, the symbol disappeared and Al stumbled a bit. Paro and Norma jumped forward and caught him before he fell. “Thanks...why don’t we head inside? I came out to tell you that breakfast is done.”

In the kitchen, the three of them chowed down on bacon, pancakes, and eggs. When he seemed recuperated enough, Al explained, “You two just fought a Paranormal Hunter. Ender is a well-known and particularly dangerous one. Paranormal Hunters aim to capture and control Paranormals--in other words, he was after your books.”  
Paro and Norma looked at the two books laying on the table. “Hey...Uncle Al...can I ask you something?” Paro asked, gently laying a hand on his book. “Can our books...talk to us? Like...not just in writing? I swear that my book was giving me advice, like a clear little voice in my head.”  
“Me too!” Norma gasped. “It was soft and sweet, like a silver bell!”  
“Nah, mine was deep and rich, like a clarinet,” Paro argued. “But it was definitely female.”  
Al nodded, “Yes. At moments when you can’t look at your books, they can whisper easy spells and techniques for you. The more complex spells can only be conveyed through writing. So, whenever you’re in a pinch, just know your books are watching out for you. Another reason not to lose them.”  
Paro and Norma nodded. Al continued, “And don’t worry about the fatigue; as you use your powers more, they’ll get easier. Also, there are more efficient techniques that you’ll learn as time goes on.” He looked slightly concerned. “I thought that as long as you were in the house, Ender would stay away. That seems to only be the case while I’m with you. I’ll need to put up some wards.”  
Norma giggled. “Well, for the time being, this seems like it’ll be an exciting stay.”  
Al chuckled. “I’m hoping that it is. Speaking of exciting, you two should be happy to know that the renovations to the basement will be done this weekend, so you two won’t be stuck upstairs all the time.”  
“You make us sound like vampires,” Paro grumbled, causing Al and Norma to laugh. Together, all three of them finished their breakfast, and Norma felt that no matter what, everything would turn out fine.

After breakfast, while Paro and Norma watched TV in the living room, Al walked up to his study in the attic. He smiled slightly; putting the books up here had turned out to be a spot-on idea. However, the attack from Ender had put him on edge. He, like nearly every supernaturally sensitive being in town, had felt the surge of power from Paro and Norma breaking their seals. This wouldn’t be the last danger that they’d face.  
. He shut and locked the door, then walked to the bookcase he had held Paro and Norma’s books, pulling off three from the center. From inside his shirt, he pulled out his own pendant--silver with three interlocked gray stone rings. He pressed his finger on the center, and the three rings began glowing. Rings matching those on his pendant drew themselves on the back of the bookshelf, and a small door opened. From inside, he pulled out his own book--grey with the same light gray rings.  
Opening it, he flipped through the pages before coming across a small line of text reading, how nice to see you again. I nearly thought that you’d forgotten about me.  
“Shut up,” he told his book. “I’m just casting a ward, alright?” From inside his desk he withdrew a quill and an ink well. He dipped the quill in the ink, then drew the simple image of a house. Inside of the house, he drew three small symbols--an angular skull, a small flower, and a trio of interlocked rings. Around the house, he slowly drew a circle. When he connecte the ends, the ring flashed, and the ink turned silver. At the same time, he was hit with a wave of exhaustion--this was even more exhausting than the rewind spell earlier. However, at least this way he knew that the ward would hold.  
There was one more thing he wanted to do--he needed a way to protect Paro and Norma outside of the house. Flipping to the next page, he read, Are you really going to go through this? I’m used to you just pulling me out and using up my pages, but this is serious.  
“I know it’s serious, that’s why I need to see it through. Your brother never gives me this kind of trouble, you know,” Al growled, lowering his quill to write again.  
My brother can’t talk to you, but I know that he’d agree with me if he could. You don’t even know the consequences of what you’re going to do, so I have to make sure that you are completely certain with what you’ll write.  
“I know what I’m doing.”  
There was a pause. Okay AL.  
“It’s Al. Lowercase ‘L’,” Al corrected.  
Are you sure?  
Growling, Al flipped to the next page and pressed the quill down. Without a moment’s hesitation, he wrote Paro and Norma shall not be killed, no matter what happens. He promptly felt a jolt, then he passed out.


	2. Into the Labyrinth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the twins begin the process of learning their powers, their uncle Al has been setting up a cool hangout spot in the basement: save for the mysterious door they're forbidden from entering. All Al will tell them is that it's the Labyrinth.
> 
> What could possibly be inside?

So far, trying to wring information from Paro’s book was proving near impossible and nearly twice as frustrating. Shadow--that was the name she’d told Paro--was quite stubborn. Mostly what she told Paro was you’ll find out when the time comes.  
According to Norma, that was largely what Lumiera told her. However, Norma and Lumiera were getting along famously. Norma was mostly taken by the fact that, as a Paranormal, she had the ability to see fairies. Paro was stuck with seeing the dead.  
Al was more generous with information, but he explained early on that every Paranormal was unique, so even in the same situations, Paro and Norma would be affected differently. As the Paranormals of Life and Death, that doubled for the both of them. Also, according to Al, Paranormal twins were even more of a rarity than human ones.  
A few days after being attacked by Ender, the twins were reading their books in the living room. Norma was giggling as she read hers, while Paro tried to keep his frustration at a minimum. Be careful when you contact the dead; some spirits and ghosts are dangerous and may try to completely take you over.  
But I don’t plan on talking to ghosts, Paro argued.  
You will when the time comes, Shadow replied. It’s part of the growth of your powers. You can’t be the Paranormal of Death and avoid the dead. It’s part of the job description. You chose this path, and this is the path you will take.  
But I didn’t choose this path. I found a book and got told that I’m the Paranormal of Death.  
Right. Well, if you’re going to be in denial about this then we have nothing we have nothing to talk about. The words faded back into the page, and Shadow flipped herself close. Paro tried to open her again, but she was fighting to stay shut.  
“Well, there goes all the fun I was planning to have,” Paro grumbled.  
Norma giggled. “Paro, I think you should try to make an attempt to get along with Shadow. You’re not going to get anything out of her if you just treat her as a book, you know.”  
Paro sighed. “I wouldn’t treat her like a book if she would actually tell me what I need to know.” He put Shadow into the bag that Al had given him. It latched so that no one could get ahold of his book while he had it on him. He blew a raspberry. “I’m bored.”  
As if on queue, the men that had come to finish the basement came back up the stairs, followed by Al. “Thanks, guys!” Al said. “Just email me the invoice and I’ll get that paid for you.”  
“Alright,” The head worker said. As Paro looked, he noticed that this guy had a pendant shaped lit a lug nut. Noticing Paro staring, the worker winked before turning around and leaving.  
“Hey, Uncle Al?” Paro asked.  
“Yes, Paro?”  
“Was that guy a Paranormal?”  
Al chuckled. “Good eye, Paro. Yes; he’s the Paranormal of Construction and a very nice guy. He usually remains disguised as a human, but a way to let other Paranormals know who you are is to let them see your pendant. However, don’t assume just anyone wearing a necklace is a Paranormal. When the time comes, I’ll show you how to disguise yourselves as humans.”  
Norma smiled. “Sounds like a blast! I’ve missed my shiny blonde hair.” She playfully flipped her white-and-green locks.  
With a chuckle, Al said, “We’ll get to that later, but for right now, I’m pleased to let you know that the cool teen basement hangout is open for business!” He winked and gave the twins a thumbs-up.  
“Um...Al…” Norma chuckled bashfully.  
Paro flat-out stated, “Naming something cool automatically makes it 50% less cool.”  
Al chuckled again, “Come downstairs, and I’ll prove you wrong.”

Norma could barely contain her excitement. The basement had a soda machine, ping-pong table, tv with a gaming station, along with a makeup vanity. Comfortable lounge chairs, a fridge, it was like the coolest place ever. Except for one thing.  
“What’s up with that door?” Norma asked, pointing. On the wall, directly across from the stairs, was a door, but unlike any door Norma had ever seen. It was set in the wall, lined with gold. It was made of gray stone and had no door handle. Also, it was behind a floor-to-ceiling cage made of iron bars, locked completely tight.  
Al looked. “Oh, that. That’s the entrance to the Labyrinth.” He said passively.  
“Why is it locked up?” Paro asked.  
Al sighed. “Because I’m not letting you two get into the Labyrinth. It’s dangerous, and I promised your mother that I’d keep you safe while you learned to use your powers. It’s dangerous enough without a minotaur roaming the corridors, but there’s that. No one has been in the labyrinth in fifty years, and I’m sure not letting anyone in today.” He cleared his throat. “I have to go to work today-- paperwork to do--but I need you two to promise me you’ll stay out of trouble while I’m gone.”  
“Okay,” Paro agreed. “I promise.”  
Norma waited a moment, thinking carefully. “Fine…” She muttered, careful not to promise anything. Al seemed satisfied with her answer, then started to head upstairs.  
He called back, “I’ll see you two later! Love you! Call me if there’s an emergency!”  
They heard the door shut, then his car start. “Don’t even think about it,” Paro told Norma before walking to a reclining chair and lighting a cigarette.  
“Oh come on Paro! It’s a labyrinth! A labyrinth! How can you expect me not to think about it!?” Norma protested. “It’d do you good to add a dose of curiosity to your life, you know.” She sat next to Paro and pouted. “You really shouldn’t smoke; it’s bad for you.”  
“I’m the Paranormal of Death. It can’t hurt me.”  
“Well, it’s bad for me. Secondhand smoke is just as dangerous as puffing the cigarette, you know.”  
“You’re the Paranormal of Life. It can’t hurt you.”  
It was hard to argue with Paro. His arguments were usually simple, poignant, and difficult to counter. That never deterred Norma from trying, though. “What about the smell? I don’t want you stinking up the basement.”  
“Don’t you have that magic flower spell? Just cast that and it’ll clear up the ‘stink’ from my cigarettes.” He took a long draw and puffed it out, looking Norma straight in the eye. When she couldn’t think of an argument, he snickered and puffed again. “Usually you put up more of a fight.”  
Usually Norma did. However, she was feeling...distracted. She found herself glancing back at the door behind the metal cage. Paro was being a total buzzkill, like usual, but him following rules this strictly was kind of strange. He groaned. “You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”  
“Paro, don’t you want to find out what’s inside the Labyrinth?”  
“Maybe, but I want to go home even more. Al said that we could go home when we had control over our powers and ourselves. Breaking into the Labyrinth seems like the exact opposite of having control over ourselves.” Paro argued. “Please try to refrain from letting your curiosity getting us in trouble.”  
Norma grumbled. It wasn’t like her curiosity always got them in trouble. However, she knew Paro wouldn’t budge on this one; he was stubborn like that. With a sigh, she leaned back and opened her book. You really want to go into there, don’t you? Lumiera wrote, like she was tempting Norma.  
You know I do. Norma thought back. But that cage is locked tight, and I can almost feel that it’s enchanted. What do I do?  
Well, you could listen to your uncle and leave it, but I feel that’s not what you’re planning to do. In the case of an enchanted lock, what you need is an equally enchanted lockpick. Try using the Vitality Staff; you can shrink it down to whatever size you need.  
Norma read this, then summoned her Vitality Staff--her magic weapon formed from the power of her magic; the counterpart to Paro’s Spirit Chains. Immediately, she shrunk it down to the size of a lockpick. Crap! She turned and looked at Paro, who was slouched on his seat, snoring.  
Leave it to Paro to take a nap, Norma thought. She got up as quietly as she could and tiptoed over to the Labyrinth door. Anything else I should do?  
Just thinking the words ‘Lively Breakthrough’ should help you, and save you from waking up Mr. Snooze-a-lot over there. Lumiera told her, before playfully doodling a picture of Paro. Norma giggled quietly, then reached to put the Staff into the cage’s lock.  
There was a sudden jangling and clanking sound as thick black chains wrapped themselves around the cage’s door. Norma whirled around to see that Paro had thrown his chains; he wasn’t even looking her direction. Without even bothering to turn around, he said, “Come on, Norma. You know me better than that.”  
Norma frowned. She should have known better; Paro didn’t ever change his mind, and there was no way he’d let her go through. He snuffed out his cigarette and relaxed again; this time, Norma could tell that he was completely asleep.  
She turned back to the door before pausing. When she thought about it, she really had no idea why she wanted to go into the Labyrinth. A monster sounded scary. Sure, she was curious about the actual Labyrinth, but this was almost an unnatural level of desire to go in. She heard Lumiera whisper, Having second thoughts?  
Sort of, Norma thought. I mean, I know I want to but I have no idea why. Is that weird?  
I can’t tell you. But maybe the answer lies in the Labyrinth, Lumiera’s voice corrected. It seemed that she was as curious as Norma was. Try combating the Spirit Chains with the Vitality Staff; you might be able to break through.  
Norma nodded, then shifted the Staff so that it was in the shape of a baseball bat. She swung, hitting the chains and causing them to clang loudly--jolting both her and Paro. “Norma, what are you doing?” Paro’s voice was unusually tense.  
Without saying a word, Norma shifted the bat into a crowbar and shoved it into the middle. The crowbar vibrated angrily, and the chains rumbled in response. The power was building as the two conflicting energies. “Norma!” Paro shouted.  
Norma noticed the little ball of light building too late, and Paro pulled her to the side as the chains and the staff exploded. When the twins looked again, the cage had been completely obliterated. The Labyrinth door, though, looked exactly the same. Norma got up and walked to the door in a daze.  
“Norma!” Paro gasped. He grabbed Norma’s arm, but when she turned, he gasped. Her eyes were glowing white, while her pupils were spring green. She smiled sleepily.  
“Don’t worry, Paro, it’ll be fine.” She slipped out of his grasp and walked up to the door, holding her book to her chest. Touching her pendant, which was now glowing a bright green, she sighed. A flower that matched her pendant and book exactly appeared on the door. As Paro watched, glowing green vines grew from behind it, until it was nothing but vines and leaves. Norma stepped forward, pushing the vines aside. Paro wanted to stop her, but he found that he couldn’t move.  
The vines moved back into place, and turned back to gray stone. The flower faded away, like nothing had happened. Paro’s body unseized, so he let out a disgruntled sigh and walked over to the phone. He dialed Al’s office number. The phone rang. “Jones and Franklin Law, this is Al Jones? How can I help you?”  
“Uncle Al? It’s Paro,” Paro told him.  
“Paro?” Al groaned, “I told you to call me if there was an emergency.”  
“There is. Norma just went into the Labyrinth.”  
“What!? How!?”  
“It might have been partially my fault…”  
Al growled. “Okay. I’ll be over as soon as I can. Go into the Labyrinth after Norma and try to find her. Use your chains to help you through, and watch out for the monster. And, whatever you do, do not provoke it.”  
“Ah...okay?” Paro replied with some confusion. “I’ll try not to.”  
“And Paro, promise me you’ll be careful.”  
“Okay. I promise.” They hung up, and Paro walked back to the door. Of course Norma would go in. Who knows what goes on in that girl’s head, anyway? He had no real desire to go in--his curiosity didn’t match Norma’s.  
Perhaps you’ll see by going into the Labyrinth. Shadow whispered.  
Paro pulled her out and held her up. Out loud, he said, “You know, I’m still mad at you.” He opened her up.  
I figured as much. Shadow wrote. To get into the Labyrinth, you need to focus on what you want to find in the Labyrinth and gently touch your pendant. Your personal door will appear, and it will let you in. I can’t tell you where you’ll end up, though, or even if you’ll come into the Labyrinth close together.  
Paro looked at the blank door and sighed. “Well, here goes nothing.” He thought about Norma, and how much he needed to find her. His pendant began glowing purple, and he gently pushed his finger against it, like Shadow had told him. An angular black skull with triangular white features appeared. As Paro kept watching, a skeleton appeared, bone by bone. The skeleton’s hands reached towards its ribs and pulled them open. As it did, the door split down the center and opening before him.  
Seeing the darkness ahead of him, he sighed. “Why can’t we ever stay out of trouble?” Regardless, he walked forward.

Norma’s daze ended at the sound of the waterfall. She was in a stone tunnel covered in moss and ivy. It was humid and damp-smelling, fresh and earthy. Norma liked it immensely. After she’d stepped through it, the door behind her had faded away back to stone. At the other side of the tunnel was was solid wall of water with light shining through.  
Humming and skipping, Norma reached the water. She reached out her hand to touch it, but as she did, the water parted by itself. With some confusion, she walked forward. The water opened like a curtain and she stepped through. Looking around, she gasped.  
If this was the Labyrinth, it was gorgeous. It was a wide, open chamber with tunnels and bridges, reaching up so high that Norma couldn’t see the top. There was a light near the top, but it was too whitish-green to be the sun. In front of the tunnel she’d come from was a running waterfall. The water was clear and shining with a rainbow from the light above. The moss and vines grew over all the stone walls, but the floor was dirt and grass.  
Norma spun around happily. This place felt truly alive. Sure, she was the only non-plant organism, but it didn’t feel as dangerous as Al had said it would be. Only...Norma had no idea what to do now. She looked at the waterfall, then watched as a small river flowed into one of the tunnels. “That water has to go somewhere…” She began walking, following the direction of the current into the tunnel. At the other end, she could see a light.  
She walked slowly; everything was completely amazing. If there was a monster, then it sure was lucky to be able to live in such a nice place. The tunnel was fairly short, and was well-lit enough that she could clearly see where she was going. The end of the tunnel came quickly, and she stepped into the light. Immediately, she blinked with confusion.  
When she looked around, she realized that she was on one of the upper levels of the chamber, looking across a bridge. She hadn’t felt any incline in the passage, and the water couldn’t have floated upwards. With a shrug, she walked an looked through one of the doors; this wasn’t a tunnel. It looked more like a shop than anything.  
Norma passed it over and crossed over the bridge, continuing to follow the flow of the water. She walked through another tunnel, to find herself on another level of the chamber, closer to the ground. She looked and counted; there were seven levels. She’d already crossed two (she wasn’t counting the ground). With a nod, she said, “Alright. Let’s do this.”  
Swiftly, Norma walked across the next bridge and through the next tunnel. Each level, she noted, was slightly different from the last. It was interesting for the most part. She also noticed that no matter how fast she walked, she didn’t grow too tired. She counted the levels in her head, noticing when she reached seven. She crossed the seventh bridge, expecting to find something. After going through the eighth tunnel, she stopped.  
The last tunnel opened at the top of the waterfall. She was near the ceiling, and she saw the light was coming from glowing crystals. The bridges below her crossed in a way that made the shape of a seven-pointed star. Norma let out a frustrated growl and jumped, flipping through the air before landing.  
“Well, I guess it’s not called a Labyrinth for nothing,” Norma sighed. She looked around. “There’s got to be a way out.” The water mostly continued its cyclical path, but would occasionally branch off into little sewers. They were too small to go into, though. She looked around, then noticed a small stairway descending from the waterfall to a small ledge of its own. She sighed. “Of course.”  
Taking a deep breath, she began jogging the path again.

Paro looked around. This place was actually pretty cool. It was kind of dark with sconces filled with purple flames. Directly across from his door was an archway. He walked up to it and stuck his head through; it was was a pit lined with wall sconces over a pitch black pit.  
It was pretty deep-looking, but Paro couldn’t tell how deep. He stepped back into the purple light and pulled out Shadow. “Hey, is there any way for me to create some light? Or is being the Paranormal of Death kinda like an eternal darkness thing?”  
In blacklight ink, Shadow replied, Depends on what you think. If you want some light, try ‘Ghostly Luminescence’. It’ll give you a strong enough light to look around. It’ll last as long as you need it to. Details for the spell wrote themselves on the page, as well as the image of a pale blue flame.  
“Ghostly Luminescence,” Paro recited. A small, ghostly blue fireball ignited above his palm. Casually, he tossed it off the edge of the pit and watched it drop. It grew smaller as it fell. He could still feel it drop further and further, growing weaker the further away from it was. When it faded, Paro asked Shadow, “This wouldn’t be a bottomless pit would it?”  
How’d you guess? Shadow asked.  
Paro shrugged. “Guess I’m not going that way.” There was a tunnel that ran in both directions; in front and behind him. Shrugging, he decided “Might as well go forward.” He summoned a chain and wrapped it around one of the sconces. He walked down the tunnel, letting the chain fall behind him. It was a pretty long tunnel, so long that Paro couldn’t tell if he was going straight or if it curved at all.  
Up ahead, he saw another archway that looked like the one to the bottomless pit. He walked through it before shouting, “GAH!” and tripping on his face. Looking, he saw he had tripped on a shadow-black chain. He was exactly back where he had started; but that was impossible. He would have had to cross...he turned and saw the bottomless pit.  
Paro groaned. “Of course. Of. Fucking. Course.” He walked to the edge and looked around. “I wonder if I’m supposed to jump?”  
NO. DO NOT JUMP. Shadow’s voice rang in Paro’s head like a bell. I am not falling into a bottomless pit to appease your curiosity, alright? Just try to solve the puzzle and you’ll be in the Labyrinth Proper in no time.  
“Labyrinth...Proper…” Paro muttered. He decided not to ask, instead, muttering “Ghostly Luminescence” and summoning another ghost light. He noticed something weird, like a dark shape above the pit. He moved his light closer and saw that it was a stair. Standing up, but still holding his light, Paro descended the stairs. It grew colder and darker as he went down, but his light kept him from being consumed.  
He came across several landings next to open niches, like rooms or stores. Did someone live here? He asked himself, descending further. He came to one last landing. This one had a tunnel; he could feel a breeze coming from it, and some weird...strangely awful smell.  
Plugging his nose, he walked forward grumbling, “Norma, why do you gotta make me do these things?”

Norma descended down the stairs next to the waterfall, finding another tunnel. However, this one felt different--it felt...right. “Yes!” she squealed, laughing and running through it. The end of this tunnel wasn’t as bright as the others, and it seemed to get colder the closer she got to the end. She reached the end of the tunnel, nearly tripping through it. She looked back at what she’d tripped over--it was a large, light blue, heart-shaped crystal. Norma picked it up. It was heavy as it was beautiful, and she had to hold it with both hands.  
“Hello? Does this belong to anyone?” she asked. A moment passed by with no answer. “Right,” she remembered. “There’s no one here but me...and the monster…” she suddenly realized. “O-kay, time to get out of here.” She turned but saw that the tunnel she’d just walked through was completely gone. “Oh dear…”  
Inhaling, she put the crystal in her bag next to Lumiera. “Wow it’s dark.” She summoned her staff and held it up. It gave off some light, but barely enough. Sighing, she rummaged through her bag and grabbed Lumiera. Luckily, there was enough light to read. “Lumiera, do you know any spells that can make some light?”  
Try the Healing Luminescence; it’ll cast however bright you need it to be, and also it’s a cute little bubble. She wrote the directions to the spell and a drew the picture of a pink bubble.  
“Okay, got it!” Norma giggled. She held out her hand, reciting, “Healing Luminescence!” A pink light lit up in her hand, and small pink bubble rose from her palm. “OMG!!” she squealed. “It’s so cute!”  
As if responding to her excitement the little bubble glowed brighter and floated up and out. As if reacting to it, flames erupted in their sconces, revealing a large, slightly dim...agora. It was filled with abandoned shops and houses. She recognized the architecture styles as greek, roman, spanish, mayan. It was like a mix of architectural history all before her eyes. Some of it she knew, but most of it was strange to her.  
“Amazing,” she gasped. This place was even cooler than she thought it’d be. The bubble floated back to her and she held it (sort of). She walked down the tunnel she was standing in. She didn’t see any safe ways to get into the agora, and she didn’t want to risk anything.  
As she walked, lights ignited. Each one was a light green--her green--like the Labyrinth was reacting to her presence. However, with each flame, Norma grew more wary. If the Labyrinth was waking up, then what was happening with the monster?  
Every step she took seemed to echo around her, louder than the actual footsteps. Pretty soon, she was away from the agora, and in what looked like an actual maze. Crap. Norma was pretty terrible at mazes, which made her regret going into the Labyrinth even more. She turned around again to find the open area was blocked. “Okay, so I’m going to take a stab and say turning back isn’t an option, is it?”  
Not really; this Labyrinth is about moving forward. When it’s properly used, it can take a Paranormal nearly anywhere. Lumiera whispered. The only way you’ll get out is by moving forward.  
Norma sighed. “You know, this Labyrinth isn’t living up to what I was hyping it up to be.”  
Don’t worry, Norma. This is turning out to be quite the adventure, isn’t it?  
“Yeah, I suppose it is,” Norma giggled. Now more motivated, she walked forward. “Hey, Lumiera, do you have any idea why there was a crystal lying on the ground? Seems kind of important to lose.”  
She pulled Lumiera from her bag and flipped through her pages. It might be a heart crystal, considering the shape, but it’s a bit too large. The thing is, this Labyrinth is exclusively for Paranormals, and Paranormals don’t ever just lose things, or just find them. Hold onto that crystal Norma. My guess that it’ll turn out to be important.  
Norma nodded. “Got it. Are you having fun?”  
Every moment with you is fun for me, Norma. The important question is if you’re having fun or not. Are you? Lumiera asked.  
“Hrm...sort of,” she admitted. “This is a bit more tricky and dark than I was expecting, but it’s nice to have company.” She truly appreciated having Lumiera, but she really would have wanted to have Paro with her. Paro’s calm demeanor helped keep Norma from getting too scared. Lumiera was nice, but she was also a book, not Norma’s reassuring brother.  
Lumiera must have sensed how Norma was feeling, because she wrote, Don’t worry, Norma. I’m sure that we’ll see Paro before too long. Just keep moving forward and believe in the best.  
Her words made Norma smile. “Thank you, Lumiera. Sorry that you have to tell me to calm down. I appreciate it.” She closed Lumiera’s pages and kissed her cover gently. “Let’s keep moving.”  
Norma went about this like every corn and hay maze she’d ever gone through--making random lefts and rights until she found something. As she did, she realized that she wasn’t getting any less lost. Luckily, she wasn’t getting any more lost. The Labyrinth didn’t feel like a malevolent force. It was playing a fun little game with her. Well, at least Norma liked games.  
Without much hesitation, she continued moving, faithfully trying to find her way out of the Labyrinth. If she got tired, she’d find a bench. If she got hungry, she’d find an apple tree. Water from the waterfall flowed every which way, in case she was thirsty. The Labyrinth wasn’t going to make it easy, but it wanted her to keep moving.  
After a right turn, Norma found herself in a small room. It was small enough that some of the pink light found its way onto each of the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. There was another door, but deeper into the room, there was a pit of some sort. Norma walked towards it, and suddenly her bubble popped.  
Norma gasped as she was enveloped in complete darkness. A shining blue light suddenly grew from Norma’s bag. The jewel shot from her bag and floated above the pit. Suddenly, bright blue flames erupted around it, revealing that the room was an altar of some sort.  
` Norma, I think we should go, Lumiera warned. Norma was about to agree when the flames began to swirl around gracefully. Like with the door, she was completely transfixed. The flames twisted into a womanly figure with arms and flowing hair, and the heart crystal in the center of its chest. Two white-blue eyes appeared at what seemed like the head. The eyes trained on Norma, and she squeaked.  
“GET OUT!!” the flame creature screamed, flying out at her. Norma screamed and ran out of the room.  
“Healing Luminescence!” She squealed, creating another pink light bubble, trying to ignore the blue light growing behind her. This part of the Labyrinth was even more twisty and confusing than before the altar.  
When Norma found herself in a dead end, she screamed and curled into a ball, waiting for a monster that wasn’t coming.

Paro walked slowly. He was generally okay at mazes--not that this was like any maze he’d gone through before. He was more worried about about Norma, who got lost in every maze she entered (even if she was tall enough to see over the walls). As he walked through this tunnel, he tried to think positive. However, positivity was Norma’s thing, not Paro’s. Finding Norma was his task; maybe he could still find her with being lost.  
As soon as he stepped through the tunnel, Paro tripped on something. Groaning, he moved his light to the thing he’d tripped on; it was a dark blue book with a yellow crescent moon stone set in bronze. Paro picked it up. It was the same size and weight as Paro’s and Norma’s books, and it otherwise resembled a Paranormal’s book. But...there were no Paranormal’s around aside from him...and Norma (wherever she was).  
“Hey, Shadow?” Paro asked, pulling out his own book. “I think I just found someone’s book. Um...what should I do with it?”  
You think you found someone’s book? Can you open it?  
Paro tried to open the blue book, but it was like trying to open Shadow when she was sealed--nothing was working. “No, no I can not open it,” Paro answered frustratedly.  
Then yes, you found someone else’s book. Any other questions?  
Paro groaned. “Why are you so annoying?”  
It’s a gift. I’d hold onto that. It will likely come in handy later,  
“But if it’s a Paranormal’s book, shouldn’t I return it? It seems wrong to just take another Paranormal’s book, if even they did lose it.”  
Paro, if a Paranormal lost their book, grabbing it is the only way to get it back to its owner. And it’s the only chance you’ll have of not getting mauled by the Paranormal it belongs to. Shadow’s words were fairly disturbing, and she finished with, hold onto it, and keep an eye out for a matching pendant.  
“Hold on, are you saying that this Paranormal lost their pendant too?” Paro asked.  
No. That’s all Shadow wrote for that matter. Also, now would be your time to use your chains as an Ariadne String. Norma should be out here somewhere--you might be able to sense her and find here before anything else does.  
Paro nodded and sighed. “Let’s get this over with.” To his surprise, his voice echoed. The resonance was astounding and the acoustics were en pointe. Paro looked around real quickly--he saw no one else, so he started singing. His voice echoed in a way that sounded like a choir of Paros singing together in a round. As he sang, his light hit different torches, revealing that he was in an amphitheatre. “Huh,” he commented. “Cool.” This Labyrinth was looking to be cooler than he originally anticipated. With the extra light, he didn’t feel so in the dark, but the Labyrinth wasn’t the brightest place he’d been, though.  
Paro beckoned his little light back to him so he could read. “Hey Shadow?” he asked. “Al mentioned that I’d be able to sense Norma. Do you know any ways that I could do that? Maybe make it easier?”  
Focus on how Norma makes you feel. Inside your chest you’ll feel something, like a compass pointing. Follow this feeling, and it will lead you through the Labyrinth to where Norma is.  
Paro closed his eyes and thought about Norma. Most of the time, she was hard-headed, energetic and positive. Sometimes he couldn’t stand her; but he knew how much he relied on her. As he thought about this, he felt a warm feeling in his chest that seemed to be pulling him forward.  
He opened his eyes and continued to feel it, so forward he went. He climbed a set of stairs out of the amphitheatre and into a new tunnel. This one wasn’t as dark as the one he originally had entered, but he still needed his light. He thought to himself, This feels like a proper labyrinth.  
He continued following the feeling he had; though, as he thought about it, it was kind of irritating. If it was to find Norma, he could bear it. To Paro, this didn’t seem like the kind of place Norma would like. Paro found it cool enough, but he and Norma were very different people.  
The stones looked ghostly under the blue light, much like Paro was sure he did. The small flame was all the light he currently had, and while it was better than than nothing it wasn’t very good. As he noted this, a sconce lit up with the same color of blue flame. Other sconces lit up, creating a brighter light down the tunnel.  
Paro stiffened when he heard a grunt. A truly terrible smell--like that of a barn. For some, strange reason, Paro had a very strong sense of smell. He’d had it for the longest time and could pick up the subtlest changes. This odor was an assault to his nostrils, but he couldn’t react too much, because what he saw up ahead made his whole body freeze.  
In front of him had to be the monster that Al had warned him and Norma about. Standing tall enough that its horns brushed the ceiling, and filling the tunnel with its girth, was a minotaur. It was very solid in build, but resembled a bull standing on its hind legs (and having arms instead of forelegs). It didn’t look like any other bull Paro had seen, though. It had curly fur all over its body. The fur was bluish-purple in color, but the amazing thing was that it was filled with stars, resembling the night sky. It had two bright yellow horns that curved up to the ceiling, and equally yellow eyes. Around its neck was a black cord holding a small yellow charm of some sort--Paro couldn’t make it out.  
Whatever you do, do not provoke it. Al’s words rang in Paro’s head. At the moment, the minotaur didn’t seem to notice Paro, and instead was munching on some sort of weird purple apple. As quietly as he could, he took a step backwards.  
The minotaur’s head immediately spun around and looked directly at Paro. “Shit.” He muttered under his breath. He continued to back up slowly, putting his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat. The minotaur looked at him curiously, before stepping forward. Instinctively, Paro took another step back.  
For whatever reason, the minotaur did not like that and it let out a bellowing moo. It charged at Paro, who immediately pushed out his palms. Black chains blasted forward, like when he and Norma had fought Ender. They entangled the minotaur like a web.  
Paro took this opportunity to run the other direction, hopefully back to amphitheatre. However, when he turned around he only found more tunnel. Anything was better than getting smashed and gutted by a giant bull-man-thing.  
Ever since his and Norma’s powers activated, Paro found that he was faster and stronger than ever before. And, to be fair, he was pretty strong and fast before--especially for his unhealthier habits. He could hear the minotaur struggling against his chains; he could feel it, too. The further away he got the weaker they became, so he had to use his headstart to its fullest.  
Before he got too far, he felt the chains break. It was like someone was shocking him from every direction, all the way into his spine. It only lasted a second, but the pain was enough to make him collapse on the ground. Paro! Are you alright? Shadow asked him.  
He got up with some difficulty. “I’m fine...I need to keep going.” He took a deep breath and kept running. He heard the minotaur bellow again and heard charge behind him.  
Paro turned into another tunnel and around a corner. “DAMN IT!!” He was in a dead-end. When he heard the minotaur coming, it was an emphasis on ‘dead’. He saw it come around the same corner--Paro’s only way back.  
Fear wasn’t usually an emotion Paro was consumed by, but Paro’s body was completely petrified. Though he was the Paranormal of Death and it probably wouldn’t kill him, he really did not want to find out. As the minotaur began moving forward, something happen.  
The wall next to Paro began glowing. Three interlocked glowing blue rings drew themselves before the center vanished. The circles moved around until the roundish triangle was the same shape as the Labyrinth door.  
“Paro!!” He heard Al shout through the door. Without a moment’s hesitation, Paro dove through.

The blue light faded, but Norma was still trembling. That spirit thing had to be one of the scariest things Norma had ever seen. As she stood, she realized something; it couldn’t have been the monster; Al had said the monster roamed the halls, and this spirit had burst from the altar.  
Also, if it was the monster Al had talked about, it would have hurt her more than just scaring her. Taking a deep breath, she began moving again. It’s not so scary, she told herself. Well, it was, but it was truly an interesting place. There was an entire agora for one thing, and Norma doubted many underground structures could fit whole agoras.  
Without immediate danger, it gave Norma a curious feeling of being...safe. She still wanted out of there as soon as she could, because no matter what feeling this place gave her, it was still creepy and confusing. She really hated the dark, and this fire ghost thing was unnerving.  
Norma quickly realized that when she wasn’t thinking about it, the easier the Labyrinth was to navigate. Of course, the moment she realized this, she turned around into a dead end.  
“Right. Best not to think about it,” she said. Instead, she turned her thoughts to Paro. There was no doubt in her mind that Paro would come to find her no matter how much grieving he’d give. It gave her a warm feeling her chest that seemed to guide her along.  
Suddenly, the air changed--Norma opened her eyes to see that she was facing a large amphitheatre. Behind the center was an especially dark tunnel that sent shivers down Norma’s spine. She noticed the sconces with blue fire turn to pink when she came in. Her bubble shimmered and shone, seeming to grow brighter in response to the flames.  
There was a lingering presence--cool and strong, making Norma think of a stone palace. It wasn’t much colder than the rest of the Labyrinth, but it was more familiar and comfortable. Paro, she thought. This wasn’t exactly how Paro felt, but it was something that his powers seemed to have.  
Well, at least she was on the right track. There was a tunnel that seemed colder than the others. Following this coldness had to lead her to Paro, otherwise she was completely out of options. Once the two of them were reunited, then she at least wouldn’t be by herself as she and Paro looked for a way out.

Paro blinked in surprise. “Whoa...what is this place?” well, obviously it was a small room, but it was really cool, even compared to the rest of the Labyrinth that Paro had seen. It was large enough to fit about ten people, and it was completely circular. Around the length of the wall--excluding the door Paro had just gone through--had a glowing blue panel made of light, covered with lines and circles. Above it was an equally blue screen with what seemed to be a feed of nothing but empty tunnels.  
Al was on a seat, placing his fingers gently on the panel. Paro saw a circle under Al’s index finger. When Al lifted it, the circle disappeared, and the door closed behind Paro. “Welcome to the Brain of the Labyrinth,” Al told him without turning around. “Or, my entrance chamber.” When he turned around, he looked less than happy.  
“So, now that you’re out of immediate danger, and we’re able to talk face-to-face, how did your sister get past the enchanted metal cage intended to keep the both of you out of danger? Moreover, why is it your fault she got through?” He didn’t sound quite mad, just...frustrated and stressed.  
Paro took a deep breath and explained everything that had happened after Al had left. “I swear, I hadn’t expected her and my magic to react like that. I was just trying to help keep her out, which just backfired in my face. I guess I didn’t understand what would happen. I’m sorry, I did want to put her in danger, either.” Once again, he had thought he was doing the right thing, but it turned out to be the exact wrong thing. Again.  
Al relaxed. “Paro, I understand you were trying to help, but didn’t it cross your mind that the cage would be enchanted? The Paranormal I had make it was fully aware I had two mischievous, impulsive teenage Paranormal twins in the house. He made it so the cage couldn’t be lock picked.”  
Well now I feel like an idiot, Paro grumbled in his head.  
“Don’t feel too bad, Paro,” Al assured. “Like I said, I know you were trying to help. Paranormals and magic are still new to you and Norma. I’m sorry I took my frustration out on you. I’m just...anxious…”  
Well, at least it was a genuine apology, but Paro still wasn’t quite comfortable with how everyone was acting. Suddenly, he remembered Norma’s strange behavior right before she’d gone into the Labyrinth. “Hey, Al, I forgot to mention. Right before she actually went into the Labyrinth. Her eyes went all glowy and blank and she acted like she was in a trance. When I tried to stop her, I froze. I have no idea what came over us, though. Do you?”  
Al shook his head. “My best guess is that something in the Labyrinth called you. Can’t tell you for sure, but I can tell you one thing--you and Norma are extremely unique for Paranormals. I’m afraid I can’t tell you more until you and Norma are together again; it’s something that the two of you need to hear together.” He turned back to the panel. “The problem is I can’t seem to find her anywhere on here. Which is pretty bad considering how close you were to danger before I found you.”  
To get a better look, Paro stepped forward. As he did, his bag began moving, like it was trying to pull itself away from him. When he opened it, he saw that the blue book was floating in the air, with the yellow crescent moon on the cover glowing.  
“Paro...where did you get this?” Al asked with surprise.  
“I found it when I was walking through the Labyrinth. Shadow told me that I should hold onto it, so I did.” Paro gently touched the book, and a beam of yellow light shot from the stone onto the panel. A glowing symbol of the yellow moon appeared, moving around through the twists and turns shown on the control panel.  
The two of them shared a curious look and Al pressed his finger on the symbol. A feed popped up showing the Minotaur. It was sniffing around where Paro had jumped through Al’s door. As he looked closely, he realized that the particularly bright “star” he had seen when the minotaur was actually a yellow moon-shaped pendant.  
“Uncle Al,” he said, pointing.  
Al waved his hand, and the feed simultaneously paused and zoomed, showing the pendant in greater detail. Looking from the book to the pendant and back, Al said, “A book without a Paranormal, and a minotaur-like monster wearing a Paranormal-like pendant matching said book. Would make sense why the monster is so violent, and how it just suddenly appeared all those decades ago.”  
“Do you think that if I give them back their book, they’d turn back to normal?”  
“Well, in theory it would work, but there aren’t many known cases of Paranormals just losing their books without anyone finding them. The problem with that idea is that our monster friend will be ready to rip you apart for having it. That’s probably why it attacked you in the first place.”  
“But isn’t it a risk worth taking? Think about it. If I give them back the book and they turn back to normal, the threat of the minotaur will be gone, the Paranormal will be free, and we can learn about this other Paranormal and what caused them to lose their book in the first place?”  
Al looked at Paro thoughtfully. “Alright. I’ll let you try, Paro. However, I don’t want you to actually try until you and your sister are reunited. Two Paranormals are better than one. Also, if it doesn’t work, you can fight the minotaur off more easily as a team.”  
Paro nodded. “Yeah, and I’d feel more comfortable with her anyway. Though I’m hoping we don’t have to fight the minotaur. That thing broke through my chains--which hurt, by the way. Also, I don’t want to potentially hurt a Paranormal if I don’t have to.”  
Al sighed. “Paro, I more than anyone, don’t want to cause unnecessary harm. But if giving the minotaur back its book doesn’t change it back into a regular Paranormal, I still have to find a way to get rid of the minotaur once and for all.” He drew his finger, and Paro saw some of the lines change.  
He pointed to a particularly dark spot on the map which made Paro think of the pit he’d come across when he first came into the Labyrinth. “You mean...drop the minotaur into the bottomless pit?”  
Al nodded grimly. “I know it’s an extreme measure, but as of the moment it is all I can think of. But I won’t do anything until you have try to give the Paranormal back their book.” The two of them watched the screen as the minotaur sniffed around. Paro only hoped that Al could find Norma before the Minotaur did.

As Norma walked along, she saw that flowers were blooming along her path. Well, blooming in the moss as she passed it. They seemed to glow in pastel colors, like the bubble. They smelled sweet and sugary, not like flowers...more like candy. Norma had a sweet tooth a mile wide, so these were her kinds of flowers.  
Maybe she needed to picture these flowers when Paro was smoking. She would have preferred it if Paro stopped smoking altogether (of his own accord, of course), but he was much too stubborn. A least she’d be able to get rid of the annoying smell.  
As she thought about it, she realized she was feeling closer to Paro than her entire time she’d been in the Labyrinth. He had to be somewhere near her; hopefully she’d find him before the spirit did.  
Suddenly she stopped. Her head was starting to spin--that sweet aroma was starting to become sour. She had to brace herself against the wall to keep from collapsing. When her hand brushed one of the moss flowers, she felt a jolt through her body.  
All of her senses were suddenly sharpened. She was almost painfully aware of all the sights, smells and dampness around her. When she moved her hand away, she was back to normal. Plugging her nose so the flowers wouldn’t affect her again, she kept walking.  
That tingly feeling that Norma had--the feeling she got around living things-- was creeping around her skin. It was growing stronger and stronger, like her skin was vibrating. She’d felt that moss was alive (though, strangely, the flowers weren’t completely) but this was something else--something big.  
It wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling--more impending than anything. Mixed with the feeling of Paro being nearby, it was sending her nerves into a tizzy. Usually she didn’t get this anxious, but she was getting overwhelmed by everything around her. To focus better, she channeled some of her energy into the Vitality Staff. It made her feel a bit better, but not a whole lot. The black jewel began glowing dark blue. It grew brighter as she started moving forward; the flowers began reacting to it. She noticed that the flowers on the wall were a dead ringer for her pendant.  
Or live ringer, she supposed. She looked at her pendant, which was shimmering with the same colors as the flowers. “Okay,” she said, “Something about this is seriously messing me up here.”  
Maybe you should sit down, Lumiera suggested.  
“Sounds good,” she admitted, sitting down. She found herself surprisingly cushioned. Looking, she saw that she was sitting on a giant mushroom. Her head was still spinning, but at least sitting helped a bit. Her light bubble grew a bit brighter and hovered over her shoulder. She opened Lumiera and asked, “Why is this happening so suddenly?”  
My guess is that the spirit we encountered earlier is trying to throw you off, trying to get you to leave. I’m not sure how we can, though. These tunnels don’t seem to lead anywhere in particular.  
“You seem as confused as I am,” Norma said.  
Unfortunately, as I am deeply connected to you so when you get dizzy and confused, I do too. Lumiera’s letters were wavy, like she was having trouble writing them. At the end of her sentence her lined scribbled away until it disappeared.  
Norma’s head spun some more. She stood up and kept moving. “Lumiera...give me a stabilizing spell…” She felt the words come to her “END LIVELY CONNECTION!” she bellowed. White light exploded from her skin, lifting her into the air. When she landed, she felt better, but a lot colder; at least those weird flowers were gone.  
With a content smile, she flipped her hair and kept walking. After a moment, she realized that she couldn’t sense Paro anymore, either. It was weird, but since she wasn’t falling over her feet she could live with it.  
She rounded another corner and gagged. One of the most awful smells she’d ever encountered was assaulting her nose. When she saw what was in front of her, she froze in her tracks.

Paro suddenly felt a cold emptiness, like the connection with Norma suddenly disappeared. He found his eyes drawn to a specific feed on the screen. “Hey, Uncle Al?” he asked.  
“Yeah, Paro?”  
“Can you move the focus on that feed, please?” he requested. “Did you see that strange, white light?”  
“Yeah. I thought that was just a trick of my eyes. Let me do this…” he moved his hand and they gasped. There was Norma, in the blue tint of the screen, her eyes wide, staring straight at the minotaur.  
At the moment, the minotaur wasn’t looking at Norma, but it was stiff and sniffing around. That burst of magic had to have caught its attention. “Come on, Norma…” Paro muttered. “Get out of there…”  
Norma started to backup, exactly like Paro had. “Open the door,” Paro said.  
“What?”  
“Open the door!” Paro bellowed, grabbing the blue book.  
In a panic, Al pressed his finger down. Paro dove through the opening and tumbled in front of Norma. “Paro!” Norma gasped. “You’re here!”  
“Yeah.” Paro replied. “Problem is that they’re here too.” He kept his eyes trained on the minotaur. “That thing is dangerous and vicious, and I’m pretty sure it’s a Paranormal but the only way I can think to prove it might not even work.”  
With a huff, the minotaur charged at the two of them. Norma screamed; Paro didn’t have time to think. He grabbed her hand and the two of them ran together. “Deathly Beam!”  
“Lively Sphere!” A stream of black magic and sphere of white light collided, creating a flash like the one breaking the cage. The minotaur flinched, but Paro and Norma were already running.  
“Use your chains! I’ll throw my staff! We’ll slow it down!”  
“No! It’ll just break through and hurt us!” Paro warned. “We’ve gotta get out of the tunnels and somewhere open, or we’ll get skewered on the walls!” As soon as he mentioned it, they ran out into what looked like a large arena.  
“That’s convenient,” Norma commented.  
“Let’s not dwell on it,” Paro said, grabbing Norma’s hand and pulling her behind him. As they ran down, they heard the huffing and growling of the minotaur.  
In the center of the arena, they turned. The minotaur was walking up to them, its yellow eyes glaring. Norma squealed and hid behind Paro. Paro stood his ground and held the blue book in his hands. Neither he nor the minotaur made any movements--or broke eye contact. Luckily Paro had a talent for glaring and wasn’t fazed.  
Norma, however, wasn’t as practiced and took a step backwards. The minotaur bellowed and dashed straight at the two of them. Norma screamed, and power surged through Paro’s body. His arms seemed to move on their own, and before he knew it the book was floating in front of his outstretched hands.  
“STOP!!” Paro bellowed. The yellow moon on the book began shining, and shot a beam of yellow light that hit the minotaur’s pendant. The minotaur froze, but Paro felt that the connection wasn’t stable. “Move forward,” he said with some extra caution. When the minotaur moved forward, so did Paro. Meeting in the middle, he told them, “hold out your hand.”  
The minotaur held out their hand, which was larger than the book itself. Paro placed the book on its palm, then backed up as quickly as he could. A blue outline shined around the minotaur as Paro and Norma huddled together. There was a poof of light blue smoke and a large (but considerably smaller) figure fell to the ground. There was a bit of groaning, but it was more human-like (or Paranormal-like).  
Norma gasped, and the twins rushed over. The figure was a fairly large, muscular teenage boy. His hair was curly and tangled, and fell in his face. It was indigo-blue, and filled with twinkling stars. Paro looked at his sister and sighed. “Come on, let’s get back to the house.”  
As the words left his lips, the skeleton door appeared and opened. Without a word, the two of them hoisted the boy on their shoulders and walked him out of the Labyrinth and into Al’s basement. In the basement, they laid him on the couch. His clothes were torn and tattered, and looked remarkably old fashioned. His skin was brown, and he was comparably the same size as Paro, though maybe a bit bigger.  
The Labyrinth door began glowing, and opened with Al’s rings and he stepped out. “I saw everything. Is this our friend?” he asked, walking up to the still-sleeping boy.  
Paro nodded and yawned. “That was more than enough adventure for one day.” He said. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to bed. And if you do mind, I’m going to bed anyway.” With a sigh, he headed upstairs, leaving Al and Norma alone with the sleeping boy.  
As Norma tried to tiptoe away, Al said, “Norma.” sternly and authoritatively.  
Norma froze. Turning slowly, she said, “Yes...Uncle Al?” she giggled nervously.  
“Come here please.”  
With a sigh, Norma’s shoulders slouched and she walked back over to where he was standing. His arms were crossed and his scowl was crosser. “Norma, do I even need to tell you that what you did was wrong? I specifically told you not to go into the Labyrinth because it there was a monster. What you did was reckless and irresponsible, not to mention disobedient, dangerous, and nearly disastrous! I had to send your brother in after you, and you both nearly got skewered by the minotaur! Do you have anything to say for yourself?”  
Norma gave a weak smile. “It...uh...wasn’t me?”  
Al looked unimpressed. “Who was it, then? Paro?”  
“No! No...it’s just…” Norma looked at the Labyrinth door. “It felt like something in there was calling me. I don’t know what it was...and it’s not an excuse. I’m sorry.”  
“You’re also grounded. For a week.” Al told her. He yawned. “Unfortunately, this ordeal has worn me out, and I still have to go back and finish my paperwork! This is a big mess.” Norma’s heart sank, until Al gave a small grin. “But it is a wonderful thing that you and Paro were able to help this boy. It’s good to know that your hearts are in the right place.”  
As Al started to walk away, Norma said, “But...I didn’t really do anything. Paro was the one who found the book and gave it back.”  
“You helped give Paro the power to stop the minotaur and change it back. He cares for you more than anything, Norma. It’s not something you should take for granted.”  
Norma thought about it, looking at the boy. Aside from his hair, he didn’t seem like the monster that nearly hurt her and her brother. Though, when he woke up that might have been a different story. “Hey, Al? Someone needs to watch him, right? In case he wakes up?”  
“Are you volunteering?” Al asked her.  
“Um...yes?”  
Al laughed. “Good, because if you didn’t I would have made you do it anyway. I’m heading to work now. Please resist going back into the Labyrinth. Love you!” He left.  
Norma looked at the much less inviting Labyrinth door. “Not a problem,” she said, before sitting in the recliner next to the couch. She turned on the TV, but felt exhaustion creeping over her. With a yawn, she dozed off.

Like Paro, Norma never had dreams. From all that she’d heard about nightmares and “prophetic” dreams, it sounded more peaceful to not dream at all. Though it did make the “tell me about your dreams” assignments at school a bit more difficult.  
Therefore she was not expecting what happened when she fell asleep. She was still in the basement, but it seemed warped somehow. The other end was off in the distance, and everything was elongated and thin.  
She got up, but felt impossibly weak and strangely slow. The boy wasn’t on the couch, which worried her. When she looked around, she noticed a strange yellow light on the far wall. Moving forward (though it felt like she was moving through molasses) she saw that the figure was the boy that used to be the minotaur. He seemed pinned against the wall by the blue light, and was writhing in pain.  
“Are you okay?” Norma asked. Her voice sounded surprisingly slow. The boy twitched painfully and released the same bellow that she’d heard over and over in the Labyrinth. The boy fell to the ground and shone with a bright blue light. When the light faded, the minotaur was in his place.  
Norma shrieked and tried backing away, but it was like she was stuck in molasses. The minotaur bellowed again and charged at her, across the ever-longer basement. She couldn’t move, couldn’t dodge, couldn’t save herself. She screamed again with terror as the minotaur was nearly on top of her.

She woke up with a gasp and sat straight up. With heavy breaths, she held her chest. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. That had been the worst dream she’d ever had! Though it was the only dream she’d ever had.  
“I’m sorry.” A soft voice said. She looked over at the couch to see the boy sitting up. He’d brushed the hair out of his eyes, revealing a handsome face with latino features and large eyes. His eyes were strange, though. His irises were dark indigo-blue, his pupils were bright yellow, and his sclerae were light lavender. He looked sad, scared, and confused, but as calm as Paro usually was. “I tend to cause nightmares when I’m nervous.”  
Norma let out a relaxing sigh while sitting. She told him, “No need to apologize.” She smiled. “Hi there! I’m Norma, the Paranormal of Life.” She held out her hand.  
“Nycto, the Paranormal of Night,” Nycto replied, shaking her hand. His soft voice didn’t match his large body, but Norma detected a slight accent. “If you don’t mind me asking, why am I in your basement?”  
“Oh! Sorry. We found you in the Labyrinth and brought you here so you could rest and get better,” Norma explained. “We had no intentions of frightening or hurting you.” her stomach grumbled. “I’m hungry. Do you want some breakfast?”  
Nycto nodded, and the two of them headed upstairs. They ate cereal together as Al and Paro head down the stairs. Seeing them, Al commented, “Ah, I see our new friend is awake.” As he stood in the living room, he cocked his head to the side and said, “Huh. I recognize you; you’re the Alvarez’ boy, right? Nico, wasn’t it?”  
“No, my name is Nycto, not Nico.” Nycto corrected. “Nycto Alvarez, the Paranormal of Night. Aren’t you Mr. Al Jones. You were my papi’s lawyer if I remember correctly.”  
Al nodded. “I was proud to serve him. He was a good man, and I enjoyed getting to meet you and your sister. When your family disappeared in the Labyrinth it was heartbreaking for almost everyone. I’m happy to see that you’re safe and sound now.”  
“Disappeared…?” Nycto asked. “How long have I been unconscious?”  
“You’ve only been unconscious for a few hours, but you’ve been a minotaur in the Labyrinth for about fifty years,” Al explained.  
“Fifty years!?” Nycto exclaimed. “Ugh...the last thing thing I remember is the mob running through the Labyrinth. My book got knocked out of my hand, I felt an intense pain, and then I blacked out! I can’t believe it…” his head sank.  
Al looked sad. “I’m sorry you had to learn about it this way,” he apologized.  
Nycto sniffed. “It’s not your fault…” he mumbled.  
Norma was about to ask about the mob when she felt a weird energy in her pendant. All of their pendants were glowing, and she could feel the same strange compulsion as before to go into the Labyrinth again. Al commented, “It appears the Labyrinth is calling us.”  
All of them got up and went back down to the basement. When they were in front of the Labyrinth door, the image of the Crystal Heart Norma found appeared. Flames spun out from behind it, and in a flash the doorway disappeared.  
Paro and Norma shared a look, then looked at Nycto who shrugged with equal confusion. All four of the Paranormals walked inside, and Norma gasped with surprise, and a little fear. They were in front of the altar where she’d encountered the fire spirit who’d chased her. The blue fire was still burning, and when they were all in front the altar, the crystal heart floated in the air, and twisted into the female-figured spirit. Norma squeaked and hid behind Paro, who looked at her in minor confusion. In a calm, serene voice, the spirit said, “No need to fear, Norma Jones. I mean you absolutely no harm.” when she wasn’t screaming, she actually had a lovely voice.  
When Norma looked, her face was more human-like, and she was much less scary. The spirit smiled kindly. “I apologize for my earlier behavior. I was trying to have you leave so you could get back to safety. Now that the danger has been...averted, per se, I happily welcome you to the Labyrinth.” She bowed.  
“Thank you, Ariadne,” Al said, bowing back. Turning to the younger Paranormals, he introduced, “Paro, Norma, Nycto, this is Ariadne, the spirit of the Labyrinth. She helps keep Paranormals safe when they enter.”  
Paro, Norma, and Nycto bowed. Immediately, Nycto asked, “If you’re the spirit of the Labyrinth, then do you know what happened to my family? My parents? My sister?”  
Ariadne winced. “I’m sorry, Nycto,” Ariadne apologized. “I cannot say. In the Great Escape, there was so much chaos that I can’t say. Please forgive me.”  
Nycto sighed. “It’s not your fault. I just wish I knew what happened to them…” he sounded so dejected that Norma couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Ariadne looked similarly sympathetic.  
With a deep breath, Ariadne created a few small balls of bright blue light. She clapped her hands together, and they became thin, metallic rods--the same kinds of metal as the kids’ pendants. Each rod floated to its matching Paranormal’s pendant and attached itself to the bottom. When Norma looked, her pendant resembled a flowery key. Paro’s and Nycto’s pendants also resembled keys--Norma’s key tooth was a leaf, Nycto’s was a star, and Paro’s was a rib cage.  
“I grant you Labyrinth Keys,” Ariadne said. “When you hopefully visit again, you’ll be able to navigate much more easily. Since we don’t have to worry about a minotaur maybe the Labyrinth will be used for its intended purpose once again.” Ariadne snapped her fingers, and the metal rods vanished.  
At their surprised expressions, Ariadne laughed and explained, “Don’t worry--they’re still there. You just don’t need to see them all the time. Now, I can tell you all need to recover some, so why don’t you head back?”  
Al bowed his head. “Thank you, Madam Ariadne. I wish you the best,” he said, before ushering the kids out.  
Nycto sighed. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t stay in the Labyrinth and without my family I have no home to return to…”  
“Don’t worry,” Al assured, patting Nycto’s shoulder. “Until we find your family, you can stay with me.”  
“And hey, while you’re here, Paro and I can teach you about the modern world!” Norma suggested, happily grabbing Nycto’s shoulder.  
Paro looked Nycto up and down. “Yeah, I was thinking that Nycto could use a new outfit...and probably a haircut.”  
Nycto looked at Paro, seeming very confused and slightly concerned about Paro’s choice of clothing (for someone who’d been gone fifty years, Norma could suppose that Paro would be a shock.) However, he asked, “I’ve been gone fifty years, right? How much could have changed?”  
Paro, Norma, and Al all shared a look, not sure what to tell him.


	3. The Twins' First Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins' family grows with the addition of a new member, and Al is finally ready to let them take on some responsibility as Paranormals. Still, no matter how much Norma is psyched up, things never turn out to be what they seem.

Though Nycto seemed like a nice enough guy, Paro just couldn’t get used to having him around. Al liked him well enough, and he and Norma had hit it off pretty much after the calamity in the Labyrinth. As he sat outside, puffing a cigarette, and watching Norma and Nycto sitting on a stone bench, laughing with each other.  
“I’m only just getting used to Al and then this new guy shows up? What the hell’s the deal with that anyway?” he asked himself. Back at home, he’d been pretty reclusive, with a small and specific group of friends. Norma was the only exception, but she’d always respected his desire to keep to himself.  
Since the twins weren’t old enough to drive, Nycto didn’t know how to drive a modern-day car, and Al worked most of the time, there had been no opportunity to go into to town and buy Nycto any new clothes. Which meant that Nycto had to borrow Paro’s. While he could understand that it was a necessity and he had no problems with sharing, Nycto just made the whole thing unbearable.  
Your clothes smell awful.  
Thanks, I smoke.  
Why is it all black?  
I like black.  
Isn’t it kind of grim?  
I’m the Paranormal of Death.  
You seem like you need to cheer up.  
The conversation ended there. Paro was sure that Nycto hadn’t meant to be rude, but Paro had a distaste for tactlessness. Even he knew when and when not to say what was on his mind, mostly because he knew it was a fast ticket to people hating him. When he looked again at the two of them, they were both looking at him. With a sigh, he stood up, snuffed out his cigarette, and walked inside.  
“I have to admit that your brother kind of scares me,” Nycto muttered to Norma as they watched Paro walk inside. He shot them a glare with his dark eyes and Nycto cringed.  
“Paro’s actually a sweetheart once you get to know him,” Norma assured. “He’s just shy. Also, I don’t think he appreciated you telling him that his clothes stink.”  
“I just don’t like the smell of cigarettes,” Nycto explained.  
“Neither do I, but Paro takes great effort to not smoke where I can smell it. I know you weren’t trying to be rude, but you weren’t very polite about it, were you?” She gave him a look.  
Nycto sighed and looked at the purple shirt he was wearing. Paro had always worn it as an undershirt, but it was decorated with skulls and bones--like all of Paro’s clothes. But since Norma’s were alway embroidered with flowers, she couldn’t judge. “The Paranormal of Death. I’d never though that I’d meet someone that powerful.”  
“Ahem,” Norma cleared her throat, indicating her book.  
With a chuckle, Nycto admitted, “Or the Paranormal of Life. I’m a dark Paranormal, but the power of death itself is beyond my realm of understanding. Aren’t you afraid that something might overtake Paro? Make him do something...evil?”  
“Nycto, you do realize that Paro is the one who gave you your book back, right? If it wasn’t for him, you’d still be a minotaur wandering around the Labyrinth. Paro may be a lot of things, but evil isn’t one of them. Heck, I’m more evil than Paro is.” Norma looked towards the house--she could see Paro reading in the living room. “I can understand Paro making people nervous--he’s not the warmest person--but take a chance to get to know him. You might like what you find.” She smiled warmly.  
“I guess. Paro’s not the only thing that’s making me nervous. I’ve been watching the news. I don’t understand any of it. I can’t believe so much has changed in fifty years…” Nycto shrunk into himself. “I guess I owe it to you and Al for trying to help me adjust.”   
“Don’t worry,” Norma assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We’re happy to help, but I don’t think you’ll fully understand until you go out and see it yourself. Al’s taking us shopping for school clothes, anyway.”  
“Oh yeah,” Nycto muttered. “I’m kind of hungry. Do you want to go inside and grab lunch?”  
Norma smiled. “Sounds good to me!” The two of them stood up and walked inside. By the time they walked through the door Paro had moved to the kitchen.  
“I’m making lunch.” Paro said.  
Norma replied, “Oo, are you going make spanish rice?”  
“No. I’m making garlic shrimp spaghetti,” Paro replied.  
“Huh?” Nycto asked.  
Paro looked at him, and Norma heard Nycto take a sharp breath. “Spaghetti noodles in garlic sauce with shrimp and bits of basil. It’s delicious. I also put garlic bread in the oven. You will eat it and you will enjoy it.” The way he said it was like a command, but Norma knew that he was just confident in his cooking. “Now go away until I’m done.”  
“Okay!” Norma said, pulling Nycto’s arm.  
“Wait, what?” Nycto asked.  
Norma whispered, “Paro is an artiste and he gets nervous when people watch him.” When she looked back, Paro was intent on his cooking, which was starting to smell really good. She and Nycto headed downstairs to the basement.  
The two of them relaxed on the couch, though Nycto kept glancing at the Labyrinth door nervously. Watching him, Norma commented, “You know, you have really pretty hair.” She flipped her forlocks, “Though not as pretty as mine!”  
Nycto laughed, but brushed the hair out his eyes. “I really need to get my hair cut…”  
“You can get it snipped when we’re clothes shopping! We just have to wait for Al to get home.” she turned on the tv to her favorite cartoon. “Wanna watch some toons with me?”  
Nycto looked at the TV. “I still don’t understand this show. It’s the most confusing thing about this century,” he opened his book and started reading that. “There’s a spell I wanted a learn but never got the chance to.”  
With a shrug, Norma turned her attention back to the TV. “Lunch!” Paro called. Norma and Nycto shared a look, and Norma excitedly turned off the TV. The delicious smell of the food wafted downstairs, and Nycto shut his book. He looked cautious, but definitely intrigued. They headed upstairs as Paro was spooning the pasta into bowls.  
“Eat what you want,” Paro told them dismissively. “Just save some for Al. He said he wanted to try this. I have a special garlic butter sauce recipe that he wants me to teach him, but I think he should try it first.” He began eating it, then cringed. “Nevermind, this is terrible. I’m going to remake it.”  
Norma took a bite of her own and said, “What are you talking about? It’s delicious!” She ate hers eagerly. “You can really taste the basil! And yum! Did you add thyme? Paro, you make this yummier everytime I taste it.”  
Paro frowned. “You’re just saying that, Norma. You two don’t have eat it if you don’t want to. I won’t make you. I’ll whip up a new batch with better sauce for Al.” He started to stand.  
“Wait! I tried it, and you tried it. We need a tie breaker.” She smiled at Nycto. “Let’s have Nycto decided. If he likes it, we’ll eat it. If he doesn’t, we won’t. Does that seem fair?”  
With a groan, Paro reluctantly agreed, “Fine…” before looking at Nycto with his intense and dead-looking eyes. Nycto felt a shiver run down his spine, then looked at Norma. She had a friendly, happy smile that seemed to directly combat Paro’s glare.  
Even though the two of them were polar opposites, Nycto could see the resemblance between them. With their freckles and braces, that was clear, but there were other small details--for example, they pretty much had the same nose (though Norma’s lacked Paro’s piercings). They had the same ears (again with Norma lacking piercings). Norma had dimples when she smiled--though Paro had yet to smile round Nycto.  
Paro looked at his sister. “See? He doesn’t even want to eat it. I told you it was awful.”  
“No!” Nycto gasped. “Sorry, I got distracted.” He took a bite of his pasta and thought about it. Smiling, he said, “It really is delicious,” Norma smiled proudly at Paro, “though it does seem like it’s missing something.” Paro shot a look at Norma. “If you want to remake it, that’s up to you, but you don’t necessarily need to throw it out. You’ll have an indefinite amount of times to perfect it in the future.” He continued eating his pasta.  
For a moment, Paro’s eyes bore into Nycto. Then he blinked and his gaze softened. “I guess it’s not terrible,” he conceded, continuing to eat his own spaghetti.  
Norma smiled and ate hers. When she looked at Nycto, he was staring at the two of them again. He’d already said he found their relationship strange but intriguing. Paro found the staring unnerving, but Norma found it cute. Though she was surprised that it was Nycto of all people to convince Paro not to throw the food away. Norma sometimes could, but Nycto was still a stranger in Paro’s eyes.   
“So, Nycto, what’s the spell you wanted to learn?” she asked.  
“It’s a really cool one--Starry Flash. If I can learn to cast it properly, I’d be able to move at light speed for a brief time. Imagine all I could do at the speed of light! But…” he chuckled, “apparently the spell does a whammy if cast for too long.”  
Paro looked up. “Neat.” He looked down again.  
Nycto didn’t look like he knew how to react. Norma cleared her throat, “So, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you turn into a minotaur?”  
“Um...didn’t we go through this? My family was going through the Labyrinth and I lost my book.”  
“That’s more of a ‘why’ than a ‘how’.” Paro said. “Norma is asking for how you turned into a giant monster after you lost your book. Honestly I was curious, too, but didn’t know how to ask.” He looked at Nycto, who blinked in surprise.  
“Oh, that.” Nycto giggled. “All Paranormals can shapeshift. Didn’t Al tell you two that?”  
Paro and Norma shared a look and replied, “No,” in unison.  
Nycto blinked. “Well dang! You guys said you were new at this, but that’s at the point of being ignorant.” He cleared his throat. “Most of our powers come from our books, but they’re not our only anchors. While our books tether our minds and spirits, the pendants tether our actual physical bodies. The books give us our spells, but the pendants allow us to change forms. The only thing is that...it’s kind of difficult.” He sipped his water. “Pendants can’t speak. They don’t communicate words. There’s no clear spell for transforming. You have to really feel it, and even then it’s extremely difficult to hold onto your form. The more you stay like yourself the easier it is.”  
“Then how’d you turn into a minotaur?” Norma asked.  
“When I was separated from my book, I lost a major part of who I was. In response, my pendant changed me into something else. With no powers, it had to be something strong to defend myself. Also being in the Labyrinth might have been a factor in specifically becoming a minotaur.”  
“Oh. That makes sense,” Paro said. “So you say there’s no spell. How do we actually transform, then?”  
“Picture what you want to turn into. I always take a deep breath and whisper a small wish. Next thing I know I’m in a new form. I’ve never turned into something as big as a minotaur before, but I think if I did once I could again.” He ate his food. “The most I think you’ll need to worry about is turning human and disguising yourselves when you need to use your powers in public.”  
“When we need to use our powers in public?” Paro asked. “That sounds...ominous…”  
“It sounds like you’re sure it’s going to happen at some point,” Norma added. She gasped. “Can you read the future?”  
With a laugh, Nycto explained, “No! It’s just part of our job. We protect the mundane world, the human world, from the magical one. Now, as it happens, they tend to clash in public places. We can’t let the humans know our powers, so we transform into,” he laughed again, “‘Superheroes’ to save them. It’s not much more than a fancy outfit but it’s fun all the same.”  
“Sounds like it!” Norma giggled.  
Paro silently ate his spaghetti, but then sighed and said, “It sounds dangerous. Why can’t we leave the Paranormal stuff to like...the adults or whatever?”  
Nycto looked at him. “Paro, the adults have jobs and lives. No, we don’t have to fight monsters and stuff, but there isn’t anyone else who can. Also, it’s a lot harder to get killed as a Paranormal--just sayin’.”  
“We will get help, won’t we?” Norma asked.  
“Sure thing!” Nycto assured. “Um...that is if another Paranormal is nearby. I’ll definitely help you, but I don’t know who else we’ll encounter. Honestly, the mystery makes it so much more interesting and exciting!”  
Norma nodded but Paro just stared. Nycto’s voice suddenly died out of his throat. “Let’s just eat lunch and wait for Al to get home, okay?” Paro suggested. “I don’t want to think about all this heroing stuff.”  
The door opened and Paro said, “Speak of the devil.”  
Al blinked. “Not the welcome I was expecting.” He sniffed the air. “Ooh, garlic shrimp spaghetti?” He got himself a bowlful and ate it. “Absolutely delicious, Paro. You’ve simply got to teach me the recipe.”  
“No.” Paro replied. “It’s not ready yet.”  
“Fair enough,” Al said with a shrug. “Can’t force an artiste to teach me an unfinished recipe. Though I believe I heard mentioning of transforming and ‘heroing’?” He laughed. “It’s true that our sacred duty is to protect the humans. It’s why we have our powers.”  
Nycto nodded and off-handedly mentioned, “that and the Author Leviathan.”  
“Wait, what?” Paro asked. “What’s an Author Leviathan?”  
“It sounds cool!” Norma giggled.  
“It sounds dangerous,” Paro mumbled.  
“It sounds like nothing you don’t need to worry about,” Al sternly told them, glaring daggers at Nycto, before saying, “After we’re done eating, we’ll head to the mall, okay? It happens to work out I have a witness to talk to that works there.”  
Norma nodded, Paro shrugged, and Nycto grinned mischievously. Looking at the three of them, he asked, “Did the three of you eat already?” The three of them nodded and he sighed. “Well...at least let me eat, okay?”  
The three nodded again and Al ate his spaghetti. “Why don’t you all get ready to go? I can pretty much leave as soon as I’m done, but...guys...you’re all still in your pajamas.”  
Norma looked at herself and the two boys. Paro was in a black tee shirt and boxers, Nycto was in another black tee-shirt and boxers, and Norma herself was in a tank top and pajama pants. Al was dressed in his suit. “Get ready you three, okay?”  
They went upstairs and split into their rooms. Norma brushed her hair and put on her green dress, white pants, gloves, and headband. With a smile and a wink in the mirror, she skipped outside.  
She looked towards Paro’s and Nycto’s rooms and nearly screamed. Nycto had dark circles around his eyes and dark black eyeliner. His eyes were half-closed and he was slouched forward. He was also wearing a black hoodie and dark gray jeans. After her initial shock, she asked, “How are you impersonating my brother?”  
Nycto winked and said, “I swiped some of his makeup. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to wash my face off.” He walked to the bathroom as Paro stepped out of his bedroom.  
Norma couldn’t decide what was more shocking--Nycto wearing Paro’s make, or Paro not wearing any makeup at all. He always looked tired, but Paro looked even more tired without it. “Nycto took my makeup, didn’t he?”  
“Um...wanna borrow some of mine?” Norma asked.  
“Nah. Green and white aren’t my colors. I just hope he didn’t use the last of it,” Paro sighed as he checked Nycto’s room. “Oh. He did. Guess I’m not doing purple today.” Stepping out, he asked Norma. “Do you still have the royal blue stuff?”  
“Oh yeah!” Norma giggled. She walked into her room and pulled out her case of darker eyeshadows. She rarely used it, but when she looked, she had purple too. “Hey Paro,” she said, “it’s a different shade of purple, but I think it’ll look great on you.” She handed him the compact.  
“Thanks, Norma,” Paro told her. Looking at the compact he said, “I have an idea. I’ll be ready in a moment, okay?” He turned around and headed back into his own room. As he did, Nycto stepped out of the bathroom, make-up free.  
“I do not know how you and Paro can stand wearing that stuff every day. It was making my face itch!” He looked like himself again, but still in Paro’s clothes. He chuckled, “but it looks good on you.”  
“It looks good on Paro, too,” Norma told Nycto. “I know you were trying to make a joke but you stole Paro’s makeup. Paro’s always been insecure about the bags under his eyes. You also used up the last of it--he was going to buy more today.” She sighed. “I like you, Nycto, but doing things like this won’t get Paro to like you any better.”  
Nycto blinked in surprise. “I’m sorry...I guess I should have thought about that.”  
Norma put her hand on Nycto’s shoulder. “Yes, you should have, but don’t apologize to me.” She smiled. “Don’t think I’m mad at you, okay? I just really want you and Paro to get along since we’re living together.”  
Suddenly, Paro’s door knob clicked and it opened. Paro was wearing the purple eyeshadow on his eyelids and the blue beneath his brow. He’d taken his eyeliner and created a ‘raven’s wing’ look. He had on his purple lipstick with sparkling lip gloss. He was wearing a black shirt with purple roses.  
After a moment of surprise, Norma squealed, “You look so pretty!” And hugged Paro tight.   
“Thanks,” Paro grunted. “The purple wasn’t exactly my color but with the blue it looked really cool. Then I...uh...kinda got inspired.” When Norma looked closer, she saw that he’d also glittered his cheeks.  
“I think it looks great,” Nycto said, surprising the twins. “Paro...I’m sorry I stole your eyeshadow.”  
Paro told him, “It’s fine, but if you want some of your own, I know a place that has your color. We can stop there while we’re shopping, okay?”  
Nycto nodded and held out his fist and said, “It’s a deal.” Paro bumped his fist with Nycto’s without changing expression. Looking around, Nycto said, “I...uh...think we’re ready to go now. Do you?”  
Paro and Norma nodded and the three of them headed downstairs. Al was already done eating and was cleaning his bowl. He glanced up at them, then did a double-take. “Wow, Paro. You look incredible,” he said. “Though you seem a little overdressed for just going to the mall.”  
Giggling, Norma said, “There’s no such thing as being overdressed dear uncle. After we’re done, Paro is going to teach me the eyeshadow trick. Now let’s get going! We have a mall to visit!”

The ride was okay. Nycto was actually talking with Paro--with Paro nodding and grunting in reply. Watching them, Norma could barely contain her excitement. She was up front with Al, but she giggled and squealed.  
Al quietly chuckled. “I’m glad that you and Paro get along so well with Nycto,” he told Norma. “Because I have a surprise for the three of you when we’re done school shopping.”  
Norma gasped. “I love surprises! Tell me, tell me, tell me!”  
With a mischievous grin, Al shook his head. “If I tell you, you wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret and then it won’t be a secret anymore. But I can tell you that you’ll absolutely love it.”  
As he said that, they pulled into the mall parking lot. They all climbed out, and Nycto stared at the building with awe. “Wow...this is way bigger than I remember it. It’s kind of intimidating,” he admitted.  
Al chuckled. “Well, it has been about fifty years, you know. Let’s get you three ready for school!” With a laugh, the three of them headed in.  
Nycto was really fun to shop with. He didn’t just look for things for himself--he also had a great time picking out clothes and and accessories for Paro and Norma--like a skull-and-crossbones charm bracelet for Paro, and pink rose earrings for Norma. He grabbed every single piece of clothing with stars on it to try on (even a few girls’ items).  
When they got to Paro’s favorite store--Blackthorn--Norma could tell Paro was barely containing his excitement. He was picking up his favorite nail polishes and colognes. “Nycto,” he said, “Come here please.”  
Paro said please, Norma thought. That’s a good sign.  
Nycto walked over with no hesitation--another good sign. Paro was holding a compact of eyeshadow. “This one has brighter colors than I like, but it goes from blue to magenta, like your hair,” Paro explained. “I can give you makeup tips, too.”   
“Sounds like fun!” Nycto laughed. “I’ll try it!”  
Norma beamed--though she blushed when the boys looked at her. They bought the eyeshadow and some special clothes for Paro. When they stepped out, Nycto gasped. “Is the pretzel place still here?”

When he saw it, Nycto beamed. “This was my absolute favorite place to get a snack! They make the absolute best pretzels ever!” Turning to Paro and Norma, he said, “You’ll absolutely love them, I promise.”  
“Um...Nycto, you do realize I’m the one paying for all of this, right?” Al grumbled, before chuckling. “Just kidding.” They walked up and got four pretzels.  
Nycto bit into his and laughed. “Delicious as I remember!”  
Norma bit hers--it really was delicious! Nycto had really good taste in pretzels. She looked at Paro, who was taking a slow, silent bite of his own pretzel. Paro was beyond picky when it came to food--he was an aspiring chef after all. The thing was, he got a little rude when he started ‘critiquing’. After another bite, Paro looked at Nycto and said, “You were right. It’s delicious.”  
Paro never said food was delicious--the most he said was ‘okay’ or ‘pretty good’. Norma suspected that he was saying it to be nice (another surprise). Nycto smiled happily, then all of a sudden, Norma felt weird.  
When Norma looked at Paro and Nycto, their pendants were...flashing. It was bizarre...but then she looked at her own pendant, and it was flashing with light as well. Looking at Al, she asked, “What does this mean?”  
Al looked worried. “It means that something is amiss. Something supernatural. It means…” he sighed, “...it means we have to do our job as Paranormals.” He stood. “Really troublesome when we’re shopping. Paro, Norma, and Nycto, you three head back where we came from. I’ll check the other part of the mall. Look for anything strange. We can’t afford to be caught off-guard.”  
Nodding, the three young Paranormals split away from Al and headed back the way they’d come. Their pendants stopped flashing, but Norma still had the weird feeling. Even though the flashing was gone, she was still uneasy. Looking at Nycto and Paro, she could tell they were tense as well.  
The biggest problem though was that nothing looked amiss, which only made Norma uneasier. It also felt like someone was watching them, but every time she turned around, everyone behind her seemed perfectly fine...until she noticed a pattern. There was this teenage boy on his phone, but he always seemed to look down when Norma looked his direction. There was also a man who would check his watch when Norma looked at him.  
She whispered, “Don’t look now, but I’m pretty sure we’re being followed by two old friends,” to Paro and Nycto. Nycto looked at her in confusion, but Paro looked and immediately understood. He nodded and grabbed Nycto’s arm.  
“A Paranormal Hunter and his son are following us,” Paro warned. “I don’t know what they’re planning, but they’re super dangerous. Norma and I could barely fend them off the first time we met them.”  
“That’s not good,” Nycto whispered. “Did you at least catch their names?”  
“Ender and Marshall,” Paro replied.  
Nycto gasped. “I know Ender. Did he use one of his cards?”  
Paro blinked. “What?” He didn’t whisper that time.  
Norma walked up. “What’s wrong?”  
By now, Paro was distressed. “Nycto says that Ender has...cards.” Turning to Nycto, he said, “would you please explain what you’re talking about?”  
With a gasp, Nycto turned and pointed. “I’m talking about that.” He pointed behind him.They all looked as Ender dramatically held up a card. It was larger than a playing card, but not large enough to be a tarot card. Ender wickedly grinned.  
“Hello you two. Made a new friend?” He tossed the card towards the trio. A stream of dark purple smoke emerged from the card, swirlin into the air and became a large, purple ogre.  
The ogre grunted and looked at Ender. “You know what to do,” Ender commanded. The ogre roared and all of the humans around them screamed and ran off.  
“Now’s our chance,” Nycto said. He stood his ground and clutched his pendant. There was a puff of periwinkle smoke, and Nycto changed. He was dressed like a matador with a purple jacket and a periwinkle shirt. On his head was a sombrero and he had a moon-shaped mask. His pendant was attached to a bow tie. Smiling at the twins, he explained, “I’m the Nightly Matador now. Don’t be dramatic, but if you transform, no one will be able tell it’s the two of you--it’s part of the transformation magic. I’ll keep our big friend distracted while you two change.” His hands glowed yellow and he whipped his arms out and with a flash of light he was holding two glowing yellow sabers. With a proud shout, Nycto ran forward.  
As he swung his swords, a blur of red dropped behind him and pushed him to a side. Marshall laughed, saying, “Who’s your new friend? The Paranormal of Drama? Pathetic if you ask me.”  
Suddenly Marshall was blasted aside by yellow light. “Funny,” Nycto commented, “I don’t seem to recall anyone asking you.” He looked at the twins. “Hurry, I can’t hold them both off forever.”  
Paro and Norma nodded and simultaneously clutched their pendants. Paro focused, and took a deep breath. He didn’t quite know what he was doing, but an idea struck him. He loved crows, and he imagined what it would be like to fly. There was burst of power, and Norma gasped.  
Paro was covered in feathers. Well, he was dressed in feathers. He had a feathered vest and feathered elbow-length gloves. He had black jeans torn at the knees, and black combat boots. His hair had turned into black, purple-dyed feathers, and he had a mask shaped like purple wings. But what was most surprising was his large, black and purple wings. “Cool,” he said. “I’m the Deathly Crow now. I’ll help...Nightly...while you transform. I know you can do it, Norma.” He flapped his wings and blasted black energy at the ogre.  
Seeing her brother like a crow inspired Norma (though she didn’t want to turn into a bird). She held onto her own pendant, and imagine flowers and bouquets, giggling at the idea of bouquet pom-poms. Suddenly it felt like she was being brushed by hundreds of petals. When she opened her own eyes, she squealed. She was a cheerleader/majorette, with her hair green in pigtails and blooming. Her dress was a bit long for a majorette, but it was sparkly, in pink, green and white with a flowery skirt. She had white boots and sparkly make up. Her gloves were pink with flower petals on the ends. She wasn’t holding any pom-poms, but she felt RAMPED UP. She looked at her reflection--she had green lipstick and a pink mask.  
Laughing, she summoned her staff and turned it into baton before leaping at the ogre. With a big guffaw, she twirled around in the air and hurled the baton straight at the ogre’s head. There was a loud thunk as they collided. Nycto and Paro--the Nightly Matador and the Deathly Crow--looked at her. With a grin she said, “I’m the Lively Beauty!”  
Nycto beamed and Paro nodded, then went back to wrangling the ogre and fighting Marshall. Both of them seemed to be handling their tasks pretty well, so Norma had to focus on the cause of the commotion. But as she looked around, she couldn’t see Ender anywhere.  
She heard the whip crack from behind, and was just fast enough to summon a new staff to catch the whip in time. “Well, well, well. The flower girl’s gonna give it another shot. And this time, your brother can’t help you!”  
Norma glanced at Paro. The ogre was tangling himself up in the chains, but he was so big and was untangling himself so fast that Paro was having trouble keeping up. Marshall was moving so fast with these gauntlets he was wearing (where did they come from, anyway?) that Nycto was having trouble keeping up--he was mostly blocking with his swords.  
This is bad, Norma thought to herself. Ender and Marshall weren’t this much trouble when Paro and I fought them the first time. In retrospect, Ender and Marshall hadn’t been fighting their strongest against new Paranormals, but that luxury was gone now. Summoning all of her strength, Norma twisted her staff, throwing Ender’s whip off. With a leap and a flip she stood back to back with the two boys.  
“That Marshall is tough,” Nycto grunted. “I could barely keep up with him! Par--I mean, Deathly Crow, did you find the ogre’s card?” Marshall threw an energy fist that curved up in the air. Marshall clanged his swords together, creating a moonlight shield that managed to deflect.  
“The ogre’s what?” Paro asked, tripping up the ogre.  
Nycto grunted again. “The ogre’s card--the card that Ender used to summon and control the ogre. If we grab that card and tear it in half, the magic goes kaput and Ender loses control of his monster. It’s the only way we can save everyone.”  
Paro and Norma nodded and they all faced the ogre. Norma, in all honesty, felt kind of bad for it. Being controlled by a book sounded bad. Being controlled by a card sounded downright unbearable.The ogre bellowed and swung at them, and the three of them tumbled out of the way.   
Norma scanned every inch of the ogre, but didn’t see anything resembling a card. When the ogre started to go at Paro, she was going to blast it, but saw a stream of purple starlight blast from Nycto. Momentarily distracted, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Marshall shout.  
She turned to see a giant fist of red energy flying straight at her. There was barely enough time to react, much less dodge or block. She shielded herself as best she could, and suddenly heard a loud boom. After a split second, realizing she felt n pain, she looked up and saw a large crystal in between her and Marshall. In front of Norma was a girl with blue hair holding up her hands. She was dressed in what resembled a ballgown, but with a skirt that only fell to her knees. Atop her head as an elaborate but lovely tiara. The energy fist dissipated, and the girl let her crystal disappear. “Are you alright?” the girl asked Norma, turning and looking at her. Her irises shimmered like blue jewels, with light blue pupils and sclera. She wore a mask, like Norma was at the time. She had dark skin and wore light blue lipstick.  
“Yes, thank you,” Norma said. The girl helped her stand and she asked, “Who are you?”  
“I’m the Dazzling Princess,” the girl--the Dazzling Princess--said. Marshall shot another fist, and the Princess summoned a fluffy blue fan and created another shield. “Who are you?”  
“The Lively Beauty,” Norma replied. She pointed her staff and shot an energy ball at Marshall. It hit him and exploded in a burst of petals.  
The Princess groaned. “I can’t believe these two are at it again.”  
“You know Marshall and Ender?”  
“Sweetpea, every Paranormal in town knows about Ender and Marshall. But I know I can handle them. Help your teammates with the ogre; I’ll fend the psycho family off.” The Princess told Norma.  
Norma nodded and left her to it. The Princess faced Marshall and Ender (who’d regrouped) while Norma joined Nycto and Paro.  
Paro stood next to Nycto--he appreciated Nycto protecting him like that. They shared a look, a nod, and looked at the ogre together. Jumping in different directions around it, the dodged its attacks and rolled around its back--on the back of its shoulders was a small playing card.  
“Matador!” Paro shouted and pointed. Nycto looked, but so did the ogre. Unfortunately, the ogre didn’t know who had spoken and attacked Nycto. Paro, not knowing exactly what to do, summoned a chain and shackled the ogre’s wrists. He held the ogre in place as well as he could, but it was like trying to wrangle a bull. Suddenly, Norma jumped in front of him and held onto the chain.  
“Matador! Get the card!” Norma shouted.  
Nycto nodded and did some acrobatic moves before landing on the ogre’s shoulders. The tried to throw him off, but Nycto pulled off its card and jumped down. With a slightly dramatic flair, he ripped the card in half.  
The ogre froze, then disappeared in a burst of smoke. Paro’s chains fell to the ground before melting into the shadows. Paro asked, “Wait, did you kill it?”  
“No. Ripping the card just sends the ogre home. Don’t worry.” Nycto assured. He turned to where the Princess was standing and told her, “thank you for your help.”  
The Princess smiled and said, “Practice some more and you won’t need my help.” She waved her fan and disappeared in a swirl of diamonds.  
Nycto looked offended and grumbled, before saying, "Let’s go find Al again.”

After they found him and he and Nycto had gone to the barbershop, Paro and Norma waited for the two in the food court. “That Princess sure seemed full of herself,” Paro grumped. The two of them had turned back to normal, but he was still grumpy at what happened.  
“I don’t think she was too bad. She did help us after all.” Norma replied. I don’t think we would have beaten them on our own. And it's not like she’s wrong, Paro. We do need to practice our powers.”  
Paro sighed. “Yeah...I suppose…”  
“Paro! Norma!” they heard Nycto shout. When they turned, they both gasped. He was in a blue tee-shirt with yellow sleeves and yellow stars, purple shorts, and purple shoes. The sides of his head were shaved, like Paro’s, with the top long and curly, with the twinkling stars.  
“You look great!” Norma gasped, hugging him.  
“Thanks!” Nycto laughed.  
Paro stood and fist-bumped Nycto. With a small smile, Al said, “let’s head home, guys. You need to get ready for school.” They four of them left the mall.


	4. Times at a New School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The summer is over, and to Paro's dismay he and Norma are still living with Al. Along with Nycto, they need to get enrolled to the local school, and from there Paro doesn't want to know what might happen. 
> 
> The sudden appearance of two foes doesn't surprise him much at all, however

As Norma’s alarm went off, she sat up and stretched. As she woke up, she was filled with a familiar feeling; pure, unfiltered excitement. By now she’d gotten used to living with Al and Nycto, but this was a chance to make new friends. Also, just sitting around the house was boring, and going outside ran the risk of running into Ender and Marshall. Also, the Labyrinth had lost its appeal of mystery.  
Hopping out of bed, she put on one of her nicer dresses and her favorite headband. Today, she wore her special, silver, heart-shaped earrings and her special white lipstick. It went with her hair (in human or Paranormal form).  
She got her bag ready and practically jumped into the hallway. “Good morning, boys!” She sang, before looking at the absolute messes that Paro and Nycto were. Both of them were still in their pajamas, with disheveled hair, and were rubbing their eyes. One thing the Paranormals of Death and Night had in common--they weren’t morning people. Unlike Norma, of course.  
“Norma...how are you so awake?” Nycto asked. He yawned and stretched. “I barely even have my eyes open…” he had  
“I don’t even have my eyes open,” Paro grunted. His eyes were barely even slits.  
“Get dressed boys! We only have an hour before school starts and I want to be ready.” She flipped her hair and headed downstairs. As she did, the smell of bacon, eggs, and pancakes.  
“Mornin’ Norma,” Al said, flipping pancakes and shifting bacon. “Are Paro and Nycto even awake yet?” he chuckled a bit. “If anything I’d expect them to still be in bed.”  
“Well, they’re awake--physically, at least. They’re in the hallway wondering why they’re up before the sun is even out.” She grabbed plates and started to set the table. She teased Al with, “I bet you’re excited that Paro, Nycto, and I are gonna be gone for most of the day at school from now on.”  
Al winked. “I mean, I’ll finally get some work done without you three getting into trouble all the time.” He served up the breakfast foods as Paro and Nycto trudged down the stairs--dressed but still groggy and rubbing their eyes.  
“Oh, yummy! Pancakes.” Nycto said, immediately perking up, then taking a seat and starting to eat. Paro didn’t say anything, but grabbed a plate and began munching on his food.  
“Are you three excited about your first day of school?” Al asked, getting his own breakfast and sitting with the three of them.  
“Yes!” Norma giggled.  
“No,” Paro grunted.  
“I guess,” Nycto muttered.  
Al chuckled. “Don’t worry--the principal is a Paranormal and a personal friend of mine. I’ve let her know everything that’s happened with you three and...well...let’s just say she’s eager to meet you.” The slight hesitation and small grin made Paro tense up--though Norma chose to ignore it. The two of them looked at Nycto, who rubbed his eyes and groaned.  
After breakfast, the three kids climbed into Al’s car. As Al started the engine, Paro sighed. Norma asked, “Paro? What’s wrong?” She put her hand on his shoulder.  
“I don’t know...I guess I figured we’d be back home before school started,” Paro admitted. “That we’d be back home with our friends again.” He sighed again and gazed out the window.  
“Paro, you know that’s not safe, especially now,” Al said. “I’m sorry that you and Norma have to start out at a new school instead of going back to your friends, but you two are supposed to stay with me until you can control your powers. And do I need to mention that you definitely don’t?”  
Paro blushed bright shade of purple and looked away. Al wouldn’t know, but Paro hadn’t had any friends at their old school. He either scared the other kids or weirded them out (his stares tended to make other uncomfortable). Norma commented, “Well...I think this’ll be great.”  
Nycto looked nervous. “I’m kind of worried about going to the new school building.” Nycto, having been trapped in the Labyrinth for sixty years, was a bit disjointed from modern times. He was getting used to things pretty well, but seeing things that he had known beforehand that were different really bothered him.  
Norma grabbed the two boys’ hands to calm them. The car stopped and Al turned around. “Alright guys, we’re here now. I love you, have a good day!” He kissed his fingers and tapped all of their noses.  
Paro blushed more, but Nycto relaxed a bit. “Bye Uncle Al!” Norma said.  
“Bye,” Paro added.  
“Love you!” Nycto said.  
The three Paranormals climbed out of the car and surveyed the school. Several kids were staring. Taking a deep breath, Paro said, “Let’s get this over with.” He started walking forward. Norma and Nycto followed closely behind, though Norma stopped and quickly waved goodbye to Al.  
From the door, Paro, Norma, and Nycto quickly found the principal’s office. The secretary, noticing them, asked, “Are you three the new triplet students we’re receiving today?” She looked them up and down. “You don’t look like triplets.”  
“We’re...not triplets,” Paro commented. “Me and Norma are twins. Nycto is our cousin.”  
“Right. Well...Perry, Norma, and Nico...sit down and wait for Principal Weathers to see you.” The three Paranormals froze at the fact that she’d only got Norma’s name right. They looked at each other, and Norma was about to make a comment when she said, “What are you waiting for? Sit down.”  
The three Paranormals sat down, completely startled. Paro was surprised, because he wasn’t usually this easily intimidated by adults. After a moment, the door opened and they heard, “Come in, children.”  
With wary looks at the secretary the three of them slipped into the principal’s office. She was a younger-looking women, maybe about Al’s age, but with the same kind of ancient wisdom he seemed to have. “Paro and Norma Jones as well as Nycto Alvarez. Al has been informing me of your exploits,” she gave them a stern, knowing look, and continued, “but as long as we don’t have any incidents I’m sure you all and I will get along just fine. My name is Ms. Minerva.”  
Ms. Minerva’s voice sounded slightly like a threat, and she continued, “Just to be sure, I’ve made sure you three will be in different classes. However, you will be able to see each other at lunch.”Norma  
The three Paranormals shared a shocked look, especially Paro and Norma. Never in all the time they’d gone to school had the two of them been separated. “C-can you p-please put us together?” Paro asked. “I don’t think I can handle this on my own. A-at least put me with Nycto.”  
Norma felt bad--she’d never seen Paro this out out sorts before. He was holding his head in his hands, with his eyes popping out. He was grinding his teeth, making a screeching sound with his braces.  
“Mr. Jones, please calm down!” Ms. Minerva said. “You’ll see each other later. However, I cannot allow three exceptionally powerful Paranormals stay in close proximity to each other for too long. My two main jobs are making sure you stay out of trouble and and get a good education. Your powers might draw in too many monsters.” She handed them each a schedule. “Now head along; your classes start in fifteen minutes.”  
Paro, Norma, and Nycto rushed out of the office. As they walked to the lunchroom, Paro held his stomach. “I think I’m going to be sick,” he said. Holding his mouth, he ran to the nearest restroom.  
“Should I follow him?” Nycto asked.  
Norma shook her head. “No way. I’ve seen Paro get sick before--it’ll give you nightmares.”  
Nycto cringed and watched Paro run off. He wasn’t feeling too much better about things himself, but he didn’t feel like her wanted to run off and hurl. With a sigh, he followed Norma.

Paro ran into the restroom and braced himself at the sink. He took in a few deep breaths, trying to contain his panic. Soon, he managed to gather himself and stood up straight. “Okay. Okay. I’m going to be fine. If I can survive today, I can survive the rest of the school year. I can do this, even without Norma.”  
There was a laugh, and Paro heard a toilet flush. As he watched, the tall, lithe figure of Marshall stepped out and washed his hands. Smirking at Paro, he said, “Doing this might be easy, but surviving? Might not be as easy as you think.”   
“Marshall!? What are you doing here!?” Paro gasped, seeing the boy who’d given him, Norma, and Nycto so much trouble over the summer.  
The older boy cackled. “I go to school here, you dolt! You don’t really think that I spend all of my time hunting Paranormals, do you?” Suddenly, he grabbed Paro’s chin and lifted his face. “Though I’m looking forward to our next tussle. Dad says that when we catch you and your sister, I can keep you.” He smiled cruelly, “That’ll be so much fun.” With another cackle, he flicked Paro’s head away and walked out. “Bye, Paro!” He said, with a small wave, before the door shut behind him.  
Paro braced himself against the counter and clutched at his chest. “I have to warn Norma. I have to warn Nycto,” he muttered. However as he walked out, the bell rang. Suddenly, he was caught in a swarm of people. Seeing no other thing to do, he walked to his first class--history.  
Like always, people kept a wary eye on the tall guy in dark clothes and with piercings. At least, that’s what Paro thought. A few people looked a little...flirty in his opinion. He had gained some muscle over the summer, but he was the same Paro as he always was. “Room 303,” he muttered, jogging up the stairs. Before too long, he found it and headed inside.

Norma sat in her math class, twirling her hair and watching her classmates. When they looked at her, she’d smile and wave, but no one seemed encouraged to respond in kind. In fact, her smile seemed to drive people off a bit. This hadn’t ever happened to to Norma before.  
“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” she sighed. She looked at the whiteboard and drummed her fingers on the desk in boredom. Though slightly disappointed that she hadn’t seen Paro since they’d split up, and she hoped he wasn’t freaking out too much.  
“Ahem,” she heard an irritated, slightly pitchy voice said. Norma looked to see a black girl glaring at her. She had dark, curly hair, brown eyes, blue eyeshadow and blue lipstick. She had on a blue tee shirt with low shoulders, held up with dark blue shoulder straps, and a blue skirt with little diamond shapes. “About time you actually listened,” the girl sneered, leaning in. Norma noticed her pendant, in the shape of a circle-cut diamond side view.  
If there was one thing Norma didn’t like rude people, especially rude girls. However, she was able to put her feelings aside and try to make a good first impression. “Sorry about that,” she apologized. “I was just a bit lost in thought. How can I help you?”  
“You can help me by getting out of my seat,” the other girl snapped. “Or are you too lost in thought to even do that?” Her tone of voice was rude, condescending, and and just generally unpleasant.  
Norma looked away and asked, “Is it an assigned seat?” She asked, not dropping her pleasant tone--though she added a cold undertone to it.  
The other girl paused. “N...no…”  
“Then I see no reason to move,” she said, smiling at the other girl. “There are plenty of other places you can sit. So...what was the problem again?”  
With an angry squeal, the other girl spun on her heel and walked to another seat, sitting with her friend at another seat. Norma turned back to the front of the class, as a girl asked, “Can I sit with you?”  
Norma turned to see an extremely pretty girl with red hair, freckles, and green eyes. She nodded, and the pretty girl sat next to her. “I’m Matilda,” she said. “I can’t believe you stood up to Precious like that!”  
“Who?” Norma asked.  
“Precious Stone,” Matilda said, pointing at the girl from earlier. “Not a lot of people do--they do not want to get on her bad side. And, I hate to tell you, I think you just did.” Precious was showing her friend a manicure before shooting Norma a death glare.  
“Well, she didn’t need to be so rude,” Norma replied, glaring right back at Precious, with the other girl looking away again. “If she just asked me nicely, then I would have happily given her the seat. I bet she’s a nightmare to deal with all day.”  
“Not really, unless you get on her bad side,” Matilda explained. “Usually she’s actually pretty nice--when you give her what she wants. But I wouldn’t worry about that right now.” She pulled out her books. “Here, you can use my books for right now.”  
“Thanks,” Norma told her. The two girls sat side by side and started reading.

Nycto groaned. Of all the classes he could have been assigned to, why did it have to be Spanish? He knew Spanish better than the teacher! And the worst part was that he couldn’t snark about it with Paro or have Norma to cheer him up. No one wanted to talk to him (not that he wanted to talk to anyone else).  
“Nico, would you like to share with the class?” the teacher asked.  
“My name is not Nico. It’s Nycto.” He grumbled.  
“Right. Anyway, is there anything you want to share?” the teacher asked again, completely disinterested. When Nycto bit his lip and glared, but didn’t respond, she said, “No? Okay.”  
Nycto rolled his eyes and began doodling on his worksheets as the teacher droned on. This year was already looking to be boring. “Hey…” he heard a girl whisper. Turning, he saw girl about his age who looked latina, too. “I’m Amalia...everyone calls me Amelia...Nycto is a pretty name.”  
Nycto smiled. “Isn’t it the worst when they do that? People automatically change my name to Nico because I look Mexican.” He blushed and stuttered, “N-not that there’s anything wrong with looking Mexican...I’m just...more Venezuelan is all.”  
Amalia giggled. Quietly, she muttered, “Do you think that they put us in these classes just to humiliate us?” She asked it in perfect spanish, but quiet enough that no one else could hear the two of them.  
“I think they do it so we pass and they get to pat themselves on the back. I’m disappointed, though. I wanted to take French Class,” Nycto sighed.  
Amalia giggled again, and the two of them began laughing about the whole thing in spanish.

In his next class, Paro sat and read his book. He couldn’t speak to Shadow while there were humans nearby, but she was still more interesting than his textbooks. At least he knew that this information would actually be useful in his “line of work”.  
Imps have an uncanny ability to replicate themselves as many times as they need to. It’s extremely difficult to defeat them, unless you can figure out which is the original and properly restrain/destroy them. Often it is easier to destroy imps, but sparing them will bind them into a life debt that can be useful in the future. However, like many other Fae creatures, imps have a strong detestment for Paranormals and will make one’s life miserable in any way possible. But also like many other Fae, imps will go out of their way to avoid any contact with Paranormals.  
Known kinds of imps include fire imps, forest imps, flower imps and...hey, Paro, there’s someone staring at you. Shadow’s sudden change of direction made Paro blink in surprise and turned, seeing a pretty black girl in a shirt and skirt looking at him curiously. There were few people he knew of that could pull off blue lipstick, but she was definitely one of them. Seeing him look at her, she puffed up her chest and walked over.  
“Hello,” she said. Her voice was clear and commanding (if somewhat pompous) “I’m Precious Stone, daughter of the very rich and powerful Damien Stone. I would like to properly welcome you to our school.” She sat next to him and smiled. “What’s your name?”  
Paro paused for a moment. “I’m Paro. P-A-R-O,” he spelled. “Yes, I know it’s a weird name. For some weird reason, my mother named me Paro and my sister Norma.” He groaned. “If you’re going to laugh, do it now.”  
“Actually, I think it’s a nice name. It’s unique!” She giggled and asked, “How was your first day at school?”  
Paro stared at her for almost a minute before looking forward and saying, “I’ve had better.” His nose ring was kind of itchy so he scratched it.  
It took about ten seconds for Precious to realize he wasn’t going to explain things by himself. “How...so? Are people bullying you?” she cooed. “Just point them out and I’ll teach them a proper lesson. There’s an awful blonde girl. Did you have a run in with her?”   
“No.” Paro said. “I’m fine.”   
“Oh.” Precious said. She seemed a little taken aback by Paro’s off-putting attitude (which he was used to), but she seemed pretty determined to become friends with him (which he was not used to). “Do you have any plans for after school?”  
“Homework, dinner, sleep. Not necessarily in that order.” Paro said.  
Precious giggled. “I don’t think they’re going to give us homework on our first day.” When Paro glanced at her incredulously, he realized she was...swooning? “You know, your freckles and braces are kind of cute.”  
“Wait, what?” Paro asked. ‘Cute’ was what people used to describe Norma, not him. Well, Norma called him cute, sometimes, but it was always in a teasing manner. Precious seemed pretty genuine about it, and Paro felt his face flush.  
“I’m looking forward to having class with you!” Precious continued. “But since you’ve just started here, you can use my textbook until you get one of your own.” She smiled, and Paro noticed her bright blue lipstick. “Though I don’t think we’re going to be using them today.” She leaned in close and whispered “this gives us a chance to get to know each other.”  
Paro backed away from her a bit, his cheeks warm and bright red. He noticed a group of surly teenage boys glaring at him like he’d stolen something from them. Strangely, though, he didn’t feel as scared as he usually would be. After the encounter with Marshall that morning, these boys were far less intimidating by comparison.  
When the teacher walked in, Paro sighed quietly and sat to attention. Just pretend that Norma is here, and do what you would do if she was sitting right next to you, he told himself, though he doubted Precious would appreciate the witty banter that the twins shared.  
Thinking about Norma calmed him down a bit, and he got ready for his next class.

AP History was the one class that Norma could justify being separated from Paro. Norma had always been stricter about her grades than Paro had been. Also, he had a sway towards mathematical subjects than reading ones.  
Not having Paro was bad enough. What made things worse was the tall blond boy sitting at the front of the class, who looked at her, narrowed his eyes and smirked with a small wave. And, from the looks of it, his seat was the only one with an open seat next to it. Groaning, Norma sat next to him. “Why do I get the feeling that you have something to do with this?”  
“Because I do. Why wouldn’t I want to sit next to my favorite Paranormal?” Marshall replied. Up close, Norma noticed his red, fist-shaped pendant. Appearance-wise it was nothing extraordinary; it was something Norma could picture any cocky jock (like Marshall) would wear. However, looking at it made Norma feel kind nervous.  
Marshall’s creepy smirk only grew larger and creepier. “Like my little trinket? Dad got it for me; he said that the Paranormal he’d taken it from put up a huge fight. Some reason, that makes it all the better.”  
Norma narrowed her eyes. “Is that a threat?  
“Maybe,” Marshall told her, his creepy grin unfazed. “I must say that I do like flowers. I wonder what kind of flower magic I cold do when I got a hold of your pendant?” he asked Norma.  
“Don’t. You. Dare.” Norma said, clutching her pendant. They turned their attention to the teacher walking in. However, Marshall slid a piece of notebook paper in front of Norma. She looked to see that it was a picture of Marshall and Ender capturing her, Paro, and Nycto and Marshall holding their pendants.  
When Norma looked at Marshall, he wasn’t paying attention to her. Norma clenched her fist and took a shaky breath. Don’t let him under your skin, Norma. Don’t let him under your skin. She toughed it out so that she wouldn’t get in trouble.

Later, at lunch, the trio of Paranormals sat together and ate their lunch. “Ugh, this school sucks,” Paro groaned. “I know I suffer from chronic fatigue and narcolepsy, but this is just exhausting.”  
“I wouldn’t have gotten so excited if I’d know Marshall was going to be here,” Norma agreed. “Also there’s this really mean girl who was picking on me.”  
Marshall shrugged. “I don’t like my teachers but I haven’t had bad experiences with my classmates. Well, at least we have a few classes together after lunch; that will be nice!”  
“Yeah,” Norma said, smiling.  
“It’ll be better than suffering by ourselves,” Paro agreed drily. Looking around, he noticed Precious from before. She waved at him and he waved back without much expression. Precious began walking over, when Norma looked and gasped.  
“That’s the girl who was being mean to me,” Norma whispered. “Precious Stone. I don’t like her…”  
Paro’s expression hardened and he turned to see Precious. Precious stopped and asked, “What is she doing here?” She crossed her arm and glared daggers at Norma.  
“Norma is my twin sister,” Paro grumbled. “And I’ve just found out that you haven’t been treating her fairly.” He crossed his arms. “Care to explain yourself?”  
“Precious doesn’t have to explain anything,” Marshall said, sliding in next to her. “Maybe if you twins weren’t so lame, she’d actually give you the time of day.” He had his arm around her shoulder.  
“Wait, you know Marshall?” Norma asked. “He’s a huge jerk!”  
“He’s a family friend,” Precious said. “Honestly Norma, if you want to make friends around this school, you should try not crossing every person you meet. Paro, if you still want to join us for lunch, you’re more than welcome to.” With a huff, she and Marshall walked away.  
Norma sighed. “This is going to be a long school year, isn’t it?”  
Suddenly there was a huge explosion and a loud roar. The Paranormals sat to attention when a large red dragon crawled into the cafeteria. “Yep,” Paro grumbled. “It’s gonna be the longest.”  
As the other students started panicking, Paro, Norma, and Nycto ran behind the curtain on the stage. Each of them grabbed their blazes and transformed into the Deadly Crow, Lively Beauty, and Nightly Matador. Leaping back into the fray, the transformed Paranormals took fighting stances.  
“Let’s do this,” Paro growled. The three of them leapt forward, before Nycto was suddenly knocked aside by a masked ninja dressed in red. The obviously disguised Marshall tumbled with Nycto before Nycto knocked him back with a blast of moonlight.  
Paro and Norma turned their attention to the dragon. They jumped forward and shot their respective attacks. The dragon growled and cringed but seemed mostly invulnerable to their powers. “Remember, we just want to slow it down, not hurt it!” Paro grunted, before summoning his chains and whipping them around the beast and mounting it.  
Norma summoned her floral pom-poms and thrusted her hands forward, knocking the dragon backwards. “Watch it!!” Paro shouted, flapping his wings to keep stable.  
“Sorry!” Norma shouted. The dragon inhaled and a flame ignited in its mouth. With a roar the dragon blew a stream of flame directly at Norma.   
“Nuh-uh-uh!” A sassy voice said. In a flash of light the Dazzling Princess appeared, creating a large jewel shield. “Say, Beauty, if I'm going to have to keep saving your behind I’m gonna start charging!” She waved her fan and a stream of diamonds at the dragon.  
Meanwhile, Nycto was blocking Marshall’s attacks as best he could; like with their transformations, Marshall seemed stronger like this. “Alright, I’ve had ENOUGH!!” Nycto bellowed. He summoned a dark ball of energy that resembled a night sky. Holding his hand upwards he shouted, “Night Zone!”  
The inside of the cafeteria became like a transparent night sky. A blue aura lit up around Nycto and he leapt forward, punching and kicking Marshall with the same force that Marshall had been attacking him. “What!?” Marshall exclaimed. “How are you doing that!? What are you!?”  
“I’m the Paranormal of Night!” Nycto told him, hitting him with a blast of yellow moonlight and knocking him back. Marshall fell unconscious, before turning into a red light and disappearing.  
He looked at Paro and Norma, who were struggling to keep the dragon still. “Open its mouth!!” Nycro shouted.  
“Okay!” Paro replied. He manipulated his chains so that the contracted and forced the dragon’s mouth open.  
“Duermes!!” Nycto shouted, firing a ball of blue moonlight straight into the dragon’s mouth.  
The dragon blinked, then roared, then collapsed and fell completely asleep. “Excellent work, Matador!” the Princess said. “Since our foe is incapacitated, I will check to make sure the civilians are unharmed.” With a wave, the Princess ran off.  
“Do we have to search this whole thing?” Paro groaned. “I could barely handle fighting it.”  
“Yes and we don’t have much time to spare,” Norma commented. “I don’t want Nycto to keep having to put it asleep.”  
Nycto smiled. “Worry not, dearest Norma. While the the Night Zone is active my powers are multiplied. And here, I share my power with the two of you!” he held out his hands and let his blue aura spread to the twins.  
The three of them ran around the dragon, searching for its card. “Found it!!” Norms shouted. “It’s underneath the tail!!”  
Paro and Nycto ran over. “We’ll hold up the tail for you,” Paro told Nycto. “Since you knocked it out I believe you should do the honors.” He and Norma lifted the dragon’s tail, and Nycto peeled the card from its skin. Paro and Norma dropped the dragon’s tail as Nycto tore the card in half.  
Suddenly, in a swirl of blue flames, the dragon turned into a young girl in a long blue dress. Looking up at the Paranormals, she said, “Thank you…” before disappearing.  
Looking around at the cafeteria, Paro whistled. “So...um...how are we gonna clean this up? I don’t think this falls under the guidelines of ‘staying out of trouble.’”  
“I would say you are right,” Ms. Minerva. She walked in front of the three Paranormals and lifted up her hand. A purple light glowed in her palm and she stated, “Repair.” In a flash of purple, the cafeteria was back to normal. Turning to the three Paranormals she commented, “Al was correct. Having you three in this school is almost nothing but trouble.”  
Paro, Norma, and Nycto cringed at her harsh words and looked at each other before Ms. Minera gave them a warm smile. “Luckily the three of you seem to handle it just fine.” As she turned and walked away she told them, “I’ll get you three into the same classrooms if possible. Enjoy your lunch!” She opened the doors and announced, “It’s safe, everyone. Those heroes stopped the dragon!”  
Everyone walked in and two girls ran up to their little group. A red-headed girl ran up to Norma and asked, “Are you three okay? What happened??”  
“We’re okay, Matilda. Those heroes saved us before we were hurt. By the way, this is my cousin Nycto and my twin brother, Paro.” She moved aside told the boys, “Paro, Nycto, this is my friend Matilda.”  
Nycto said, “Hello, Matilda.” turning to his friend he said, “this is my friend Amalia. Amalia, Paro and Norma.” Everyone shook hands and Nycto asked, “Would you two lovely ladies like to join us for lunch?”  
“Sounds great,” Matilda said. Nycto held his arms out Amalia and Matilda and led them to the table they’d been sitting at.  
“Maybe you’re right,” Paro commented, “Maybe this school year won’t be so mad, after all.”  
Norma gave him a happy grin as they joined their friends.


	5. Norma's Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paro and Norma are as different as night and day. While they love each other, their numerous differences often cause arguments and even temporary rifts between them. While talking with Nycto, Norma reveals a secret: sometimes she wishes that she and Paro were more alike. When that wish comes true, Norma needs to figure out how to get the real Paro back.

“Norma!! What. Is. That. Thing!?” Paro practically screamed. He jumped back from the Z Cube that Nycto and he had been playing games on and scrambled until his back was up against the back basement wall. “Get it away from me!” He squatted and covered his head.  
Nycto was more than a little surprised at Paro’s reaction. “But...Paro...it’s a bunny. A small, harmless bunny. You faced me pretty fearlessly when I was the minotaur.” He looked at the small white rabbit that Norma had brought with her downstairs.  
“Paro is afraid of rabbits,” Norma explained. “I, however, find them therapeutic. I’ve been so stressed with my clubs that Jenny said I needed a comfort pet. I decided that I wanted a rabbit.”  
“Whatever, just keep it away from me!” Paro shouted. From his shadows his chains extended and cocooned him completely. He was pulled into the darkness as Nycto and Norma watched with concern.  
“Paro...is afraid of bunnies…” Nycto mumbled quietly before snorting and laughing. “Paro Jones, Paranormal of Death, is afraid of small, white, fluffy bunnies. I couldn’t make this up any funnier!” He looked at Norma who shrugged.  
“It’s lost its entertainment value for me. He’s been like this for the long time and I’ve never been able to have a pet bunny because of him. Well, now that we’re Paranormals and I know that he can’t be hurt by it, I was able to convince Al to get one for me.” Norma explained, before petting her bunny.  
Nycto stopped laughing and asked, “Don’t you think it’s a little...cruel...to bring a rabbit in when Paro’s afraid of them? I love a laugh more than the next but even I wouldn’t do that.”  
“I know that he’s upset, but it’s not like it’s a rare thing for him not to like what I like. Paro is fifteen, after all. He’s entitled to his own decisions.” Norma was being strangely cryptic and stoic. Nycto hadn’t known her for an extremely long time, but long enough to know when she was upset.  
When he tried to follow her, she said (in a very Paro-like tone, no doubt) “I’m fine, Nycto, I’m fine. I’ll be in my room, so don’t worry.” She headed upstairs, holding onto her rabbit like a lifeline.  
Nycto watched his cousin with concern, but didn’t follow. Sitting on the couch, he picked up his phone and dialed Al’s number. When Al answered, he asked, “Hey, Al, what do you know about the fights that Paro and Norma have?”

A little while later, there was loud, somewhat cacophonous music blaring from Paro’s room. Nycto walked up to his door and knocked hopefully loud enough to be heard. After a moment, the music turned down and Paro opened the door. He was only in his underwear, but was still in full makeup. “Yeah?” he asked. “What’s up?  
“Um, can I borrow your math notes? I’m missing some of mine,” Nycto asked.  
Paro opened the door completely and walked inside. Paro’s room was pretty messy and kind of smelly, much like any other boy their age. “Yeah, just let me grab them.” He walked over to his desk and grabbed his notebook.  
“Ewwwww…” The boys heard Norma gag. She had come up behind Nycto and was looking into Paro’s room. Holding her nose, she said, “Paro, I don’t know how you can live like this.”  
“I don’t know how you can’t,” Paro drily replied. “Here, Nycto, just make sure I get it back, okay?” He winced. “I think I’ve got something in my braces…anyway, Norma, if you don’t like how I keep my room there’s no reason for you to torture yourself, is there?”  
Norma rolled her eyes and walked away. Nycto commented, “It must bother you that she acts like this about your room. I mean, we all know Norma’s a bit of a neat freak but this seems a little uncalled for.”  
Paro shrugged. “Norma’s fifteen. If she doesn’t like the way I live, it’s her problem, not mine. Besides, I’m used to it. Norma and I are too different to agree on everything, anyway.” He walked over to the door and said, “Now go get studying, I’m going to listen to my music.” He shut the door.  
Nycto looked from his room to Norma’s across the hall Norma was sitting at her vanity, brushing her hair. Her room was perfectly clean and orderly as one could imagine it, the complete opposite of Paro’s. “Boys…” Nycto heard her scoff.  
With a shrug, Nycto walked into his own room and started looking at Paro’s notes.

About a half hour later, Nycto brought Paro’s journal to his room and knocked on the door. Paro poked his head through the door again. Without a word, Nycto handed Paro back his journal. With how nude Paro had been before, Nycto didn’t wanna risk seeing something he did not want to see.  
“Thanks,” Paro grunted before shutting the door again. He went back to blaring his music.  
“No...problem?” Nycto replied with some extensive confusion. He started heading downstairs when suddenly he heard a loud and shrill screaming. With panic, he ran down the stairs to see Norma squealing and dancing around excitedly downstairs.  
With shaky breath, Nycto asked her, “Norma, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”  
“Yes! I’m more than okay!” Norma giggled. “Look at who’s coming to town!” She held up a magazine with picture of a boy band consisting of four guys dressed in bright colors.  
With obvious confusion, Nycto said, “Awesome it’s...four guys I’ve never heard of before. Um...yeah...who are they?” He grabbed the magazine and looked at it closely. “I mean, they’re cute, but the boy bands back in my day were way cuter, anyway.”  
Norma giggled. “They’re the Vibes! I’ve been a fan of theirs for such a long time. They’re cute, friendly, and they have such great singing voices. They’re going to be here in October, just in time for mine and Paro’s birthday!”  
Nycto became thoughtful. “I’d have to hear them, but they do certainly have a certain star-like quality to them. Maybe Al could take you, me, and Paro to their concert. Do you have a record we could listen to?”  
For a moment, Norma was shocked into silence, then she commented, “Nycto...um...no one has sold new records for a pretty long time…”  
Nycto blinked. “Right, I forgot.”  
Norma giggled. “Don’t worry, I have their newest song on my phone.”  
Suddenly, the music from Paro’s room quieted down. “Norma!!!” Paro shouted. He sounded annoyed, but not angry. He came downstairs and asked, “Did you download that Vibes song to my phone?”  
Norma’s eyes went wide. “I forgot!!! I sent it to you with that link to the Scrapmetal song that you wanted to listen to! I was going to tell you, sorry about that. But, hey, this way you can hear why I like them so much.”  
Paro sighed. “Norma. I hear why you like them all the time. ‘They’re so cute! They’re so sweet! I love their outfits!’” He mocked in a high-pitched voice. “I would appreciate you not pushing them on me. I’m not interested--I’ve made that very, very clear. I don’t make you listen to my music.”  
“With how loud you play it, you don’t have to,” Norma retorted. “At least I’m not rude about it!”  
“Because downloading a song I don’t want to hear isn’t rude?”  
“I told you, it was an accident!” Norma shouted. “You’re so...so...mean!!”  
“Mean? Really? Is that the best you’ve got?” Paro now sounded angry. He came down the stairs and got in Norma’s face. “Dear sister, you are an over-excited, overbearing, overly stubborn drama queen who can’t accept that people don’t necessarily like what she likes without throwing a fit!”  
Norma’s face flushed spring green. “I…” She sniffled. “Well, if that’s how you feel then I guess there’s nothing more to say.” She ran upstairs, audibly sobbing while drying her eyes.  
Paro seemed upset for a moment, but groaned when he saw how Nycto was looking at him. “Don’t worry, Norma will be fine...she always is. Always is…” He sounded exasperated.  
“Wow, that’s a great mentality,” Nycto groaned. “You know, for being one of the good guys, you sure are a jerk. In other words, I’m not taking your side in this. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to talk to Norma.” He walked upstairs.  
“Whatever…” Paro muttered, before beading down to the basement.  
When Nycto reached Norma’s room, it sounded like she’d calmed down a bit. Knocking gently, he asked, “Norma, can I come in?”  
“Yeah…” He heard her reply softly. He walked inside her room to see her on her bed, curled up and staring listlessly at the wall..  
“Okay, so I used to have a sister so I know how siblings are, but that was seriously uncool of Paro. I honestly thought you two were closer than this.” When Norma sighed and took a shaky breath, he winced and added, “Sorry I brought it up.”  
Norma got up and dried her eyes. “No, it’s fine. Paro doesn’t realize how rude he is sometimes. For how different we are, Paro and I get along generally okay for how different we are but…no...never mind.” She stood up and looked out the window at the darkening sky.  
“What is it, Norma?” Nycto asked. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me, but it might make you feel better.” He walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “And you know I’m here for you.”  
“It’s...well...it’s just that when we were a kid, Paro and I were almost practically the same person. We liked the same foods, same animals, same shows. This was back before Paro started dying his hair black.”  
“Wait, Paro dyes his hair black?”  
“He used to, before our powers came in and it turned black for real. His goth phase came and it never left. At the same time, I became happier and more energetic. Mom used to say that it was like I was sapping the energy from Paro’s body. We were each about nine years old at the time…” Norma sighed.  
“That sounds about right. It’s about between the ages of nine and twelve that Paranormals choose their focus and their powers develop. Though I’m guessing Al still had both of your books at the time, which is why your powers didn’t suddenly develop. Ah, sorry, please continue.”  
“Right...it’s our powers...I love mine, but I miss being as close to Paro as I used to be. Yes, I know he still loves me and I love him just as much, but it’s so disheartening when he’s so contrary to me. Sometimes I wish that he and I were more alike, like we used to be as kids.” Through the window, she saw a shooting star, which came out of focus when she saw Paro duck behind the door.  
“I think he heard you,” Nycto said. “Thanks for telling me, though.” He gave Norma a kiss. “Love you, I’m going to get ready for bed.” He walked out, before pausing and saying, “Also, not to be that guy, but be careful what you wish for, okay? You know how strange things can be with magic.”  
“Right,” Norma said. “But it’s not going to happen, you know. Paro and I are just too different. Goodnight, Nycto, I’m going to go to bed.” When he shut the door, she turned off the light and magically changed into her pajamas.  
While lying in bed, she imagined what Paro would be if he behaved a little more like she did. It was humorous but at the same time, kind of creepy. With a small giggle and a thought of impossible, Norma fell asleep.  
She didn’t notice the blue light emanating from Paro’s room.

The next morning, something was wrong. Norma could sense it. She didn’t know what it was, but something about the smell of bacon and pancakes tipped her off. Al making breakfast was fairly normal, but this wasn’t the same smell his gave off. She got up and opened her door, to see Nycto across from her looking equally (if not more) confused.  
Down the hall, coming up the stairs, was a very concerned and confused Al. “You two have got to see this but….I don’t think you’re going to like it very much.” His eyes were wide and he rubbed his head before saying. “I’m going to have nightmares about this…” He sipped his coffee and walked to his room.  
Norma and Nycto shared a scared look and headed down the stairs to the kitchen. Immediately, the two of them saw Paro and recoiled in shock and horror. Paro was dancing, humming, and listening to happy, peppy music. He turned around and gave them a wide, brace-face grin. “Norma! Nycto! I made breakfast!” His voice was sing-song and strangely sweet.  
His appearance was just wrong. He had all of his hair, and it was short and perfectly combed. Most of his piercings were gone, save for his earrings, and he wasn’t wearing any makeup. He was as pale as ever, though, and his eyes were still black with white pupils. He was dressed in a black and purple plaid shirt, khaki pants, and slacks. Maintaining his ecstatic grin, he said, “Grab plates, please!”  
Nycto was so shocked that he grabbed the plates before he even realized it. The two of them sat down, and Paro whipped the pancakes onto Nycto and Norma’s plates. They had chocolate chips and were shaped like hearts. He tossed them bacon in a twirl and finessed chocolate syrup onto the whole thing. He served up his own food and sat across from them, watching them eagerly. Almost too eagerly, considering that Paro was, well, Paro.  
“Okay, Paro, what’s the trick? What angle are you playing? What is this all about, anyway?” Nycto asked suspiciously. “And don’t go ‘can’t I make breakfast for you two’ because we know you well enough that you don’t do things like this.”  
“This is about last night, isn’t it? I’m sorry I said that, okay? Please, just go back to normal, this is really freaking me out, alright?” Norma pleaded. She reached out and grabbed Paro’s hand. “I didn’t want you to completely change your personality.” She felt close to tears.  
Paro’s face drooped a little, but he still was acting...not like himself. “Norma, yes, I was upset by what you said, but I got over it, I promise. Today...I don’t know, I was just feeling really positive and energetic, kind of like you, Norma!” He smiled at her happily. “Now eat the pancakes, they’re yummy!” He excitedly urged.  
Norma and Nycto shared another nervous look, then cut pieces of their pancakes and ate them. They were sweet, chocolatey, and very delicious. Paro’s cooking was always delicious, of course, but he hated milk chocolate. Nothing seemed particularly tricky or wrong with the pancakes themselves. “Well, well, what do you think? Yummy or what??” Paro asked eagerly.  
“Delicious…” Norma muttered.  
“Very…” Nycto added.  
Paro clapped his hands together and shouted, “Yay!! I’m so glad you like them! Eat up! I’m gonna take Uncle Al’s up to him. He came downstairs, but grabbed his coffee and headed upstairs so fast I couldn’t give him his pancakes! Be back soon! Love ya!” He served up some pancakes and headed upstairs.  
When he was out of sight, Nycto and Norma gagged and dumped their pancakes into the the trash. “That was...awful…” Norma said. “That did not taste like something Paro would make. Blegh! And way, way too sweet. Can’t believe I’m saying that.”  
“I hope this isn’t permanent,” Nycto agreed. “Or that he’ll come back downstairs as Paro. It even feels weird calling him that now. He grabbed the jug of milk from the fridge and poured himself a glass before drinking.  
“Me neither. I still think Paro’s still trying to fake us out, personally. Might as well ride it out while he’s still pretending, however long that’s going to be.” Norma said. “We’ll just have to pretend nothing's wrong today, alright?”  
“Easier said than done,” Nycto replied. “Besides, everyone else is going to notice his strange behavior.”  
“It’s friday. We’ll have two whole days to sort things out,” Norma replied. “But it is gonna be a weird day at school today.” As she said that, Paro came down looking confused.  
“Is something wrong with Al? I tried to give him his pancakes, but he slammed the door shut before I could.” He shrugged. “More for us! I see that my favorite cousin and sister have already finished! Want some more?”  
“No!” Norma and Nycto shouted. They shared a surprised look.  
“We’re, uh, full,” Norma laughed unconvincingly. “Come on, guys let’s go to school.” She grabbed the two of them and was about to head outside, when suddenly Paro shouted, “Wait!”  
They stopped and he said, “We gotta disguise ourselves, sillies! Otherwise our classmates will know we’re Paranormals!” He held out his arms, and in a swirl of black magic, Paro changed to a human. But, to Nycto’s and Norma’s surprise, he was blond. His hair was cornsilk gold, shiny and looking surprisingly soft. In other words, it was the same hair that Norma had as human.  
With a deep breath, Norma and Nycto assumed their human forms before the three of them headed outside to the bus.

To say that everyone noticed the sudden change in Paro’s personality would be an understatement. When the three of them climbed out of the bus, it was like the whole school froze and stared at them. Paro looked back and forth, taking in the entire school. Then he gave everyone a big, bright, brace-filled smile and said, “Hi!”  
Nearly everyone screamed and began running around in a panic.  
With confusion, Paro turned to Norma and asked, “Was it something I said?”  
Norma sighed and patted Paro on the back before saying, “Let’s just go to class, okay?” She led him to the school door as he looked around with confusion and a little disappointment. Luckily, everyone seemed to calm down as they walked into the building.  
“Paro!!” A high-pitched voice called. Jumping and dodging around their frozen classmates was Precious, as perfect and decorated as ever, but strangely unphased by Paro’s transformation. “There you are! I was wondering if you’d want to sit with me in English today!”  
Paro cocked his head to the side and happily said, “No thanks!” Before walking to the cafeteria. Before class, everyone usually gathered there to mingle and talk. Paro didn’t usually mingle, but Norma and Nycto were expecting things to be slightly different than usual.  
Nope. It was like Paro had completely flipped. He was smiling at everyone, saying hello, and making everyone around him extremely uncomfortable. Now, Norma was friendly with her friends, but Paro was talking to people who’d he never even looked at before. With an embarrassed squeal Norma grabbed him by the shoulder and started pulling him towards where Nycto was already sitting. Suddenly, Precious popped up in front of them. “Paro! Why don’t you sit with me for lunch? My chef made some yummy food, but I think it’s too much for me to eat by myself.”  
“No thanks!” Paro cheerfully said before going and sitting next to Nycto.  
Norma glared at Precious. “Precious.”  
Precious glared back. “Norma.”  
The two of them said, “Hmph!” And walked off in separate directions. Norma joined the boys while Precious went to her friends. The two girls’ eyes stayed locked on each other until they sat down.   
“Is it just me, or is Precious acting weird?” Norma asked. “She’s the only person who’s completely unfazed by how Paro’s acting.”  
“It’s Precious, Paro could be dressed as a clown and she’d still be making goo-goo eyes at him.” Nycto dismissed, before eating his lunch. “I wouldn’t read too much into it.” He pulled out his book. “Now, there’s this new spell I’ve been dying to try. It can immediately knock my opponents out...assuming I can find it…”  
Norma sat and opened her own book. In her head she asked, Luminara, do you think that something’s up with this whole Paro thing?  
On her pages, Luminara wrote, His energy feels different, definitely, but he’s still Paro in there. However, I can’t talk to Shadow which is...troubling. Keep your wits about you, okay?  
Norma nodded and looked back to Paro. He wasn’t even trying to look at Shadow-- instead he was talking to Jenny, a classmate he’d never talked to before. Jenny seemed startled at first, but it didn’t take her long to warm up to him.  
“This is going to be a long, long day…” Norma sighed.

It was indeed a long day. Paro was just not Paro. He sang a pop song while cooking in home ec, sang the loudest in their choir class, laughed and played dodgeball, and even read aloud during their reading class.  
“It's like he's me!!” Norma complained. “Me but better! Paro’s a better me than me!” she sighed as she drank her soda.  
Matilda giggled. “He has been acting bizarre today. But is it really a bad thing? I don't think I’ve seen Paro any happier!” They looked to see Paro laughing with Precious and her friends.  
“Well I don't like how he's suddenly buddy buddy with Precious.” Norma commented, looking over at Paro laughing with Precious. “I mean, he didn’t like her any more than I did.”  
“Ok, that's true,” Nycto commented. “It is pretty strange that Paro is being friendly with Precious, but that's no stranger than anything else he’s done today.” He sipped his soda. “Though I gotta admit I do kind of miss the grumpy Paro I know and love.”  
Paro laughed about something; his voice was completely unnatural. It was too high pitched, too energetic, like it was forced. Norma was all for Paro being happy, but it had to be Paro’s happy, a natural happy. Which, while rare, wasn’t as unnerving as what Paro was doing now. Also it made Norma feel extremely guilty. “We’ve gotta help him,” she told Nycto.  
“Agreed,” Nycto said. “And I might actually have an idea how. I’ll tell you at home.” The two of them watched Paro kept laughing, making them cringe with discomfort.

After school, Nycto and Norma hung out in Nycto’s room while Paro sang a song while cooking a snack. Nycto was pacing, and he told Norma, “I think that Zephyr might be in town.”  
“Zephyr? Who’s that?” Norma asked. “Cool name, though.”  
“Zephyr is the Paranormal of Starlight, as well as a Paranomad,” Nycto explained.  
“Para...nomad?” Norma asked. “Okay, you really need to explain these words, names, and concepts to me, okay?” She groaned and flopped on Nycto’s bed. “I’m still a newbie Paranormal.”  
“Paranormads are Paranormals who travel around doing Paranormal things. In Zephyr’s case, they’re a Paranomad who’s travelled the globe granting wishes,” Nycto explained. “They’re pretty legendary...I even think they’re one of the original Paranormals who were banished to earth.”  
“Wow...so...they’re really old,” Norma said. “I wonder if they look like Uncle Al.”  
“Not according to what I’ve heard,” Nycto said thoughtfully. “Zephyr is a Paranormal around our age...around 450 or so.”  
“450!?” Norma exclaimed. “I'm only 15, how is 450 ‘around our age?’”  
“Well, I'm 237,” Nycto said. “Paranormals age very slowly once our powers come in. If we want to, that is. I'm getting off track. Zephyr visits a new place for about a week, grants the wishes of Paranormals, and then moves onto the next place. It’s possible that Zephyr heard your wish last night and decided to grant it, making Paro more like...you.”  
Norma groaned and pulled her hair “But I didn't want Paro to be like me! I wanted us to have more in common, like when we were kids! If that was the wish that was granted, then wouldn't I be acting more like him?” She sat up and gnawed at her pendant. “I'm still me. I'm a little freaked out but I'm still acting like myself. Aren’t I?”  
Nycto chuckled. “You’re a lot freaked out,” he joked. “But yeah, you still seem pretty normal. Anyway, if it was Zephyr who granted your wish, they can reverse it. It might be risky, though.”  
“It’ll be worth the risk,” Norma said. “How do we find them?”  
“Let’s go ask Al,” Nycto said. “He would probably know best.” They stood up and headed downstairs. Paro’s song was more energetic and he was dancing along to the music. The snack he was cooking smelled really sweet, but not something that Paro would usually make.  
“Cinnamon buns~” Paro sang, serving up the baked treats. “Sit down, I just finished baking them!” He set the plates down and served up glasses of milk. “It’s extra tasty, I promise!”  
Nycto and Norma paused and sat down cautiously. Each of them picked up their cinnamon rolls and took a bite. Norma immediately gagged; it was so sweet she couldn’t even taste the cinnamon. “V-very nice, Paro.” Nycto choked.  
As they ate, Al came downstairs. “Uncle Al!” Paro called excitedly. “Come try these cinnamon rolls I made!” He put one on a plate and skipped it over to Al. Al was understandably cautious, but he grabbed a fork and knife and cut off a little bit.  
“It...um...certainly smells sweet,” Al said, sniffing it gently.  
“Oh, goodie! I was hoping I could make it extra yummy!” Paro said happily. He smiled brightly, showing off his braces. Nycto and Norma cringed a little, and Al slowly took a bite.  
Al turned visibly green as he told Paro, “V-very delicious, Paro. But, um, I’m not feeling so good. I’ll, um, finish mine later.” He ran up the stairs and Norma could hear him retching a moment afterwards.  
Nycto stood up and said, “Sorry, Paro, we’re not so hungry either!” He put his and Norma’s cinnamon buns on the serving plate and pulled Norma upstairs.  
“More for me!” Paro giggled, grabbing three and happily eating them.  
When they were out of his earshot, Norma mumbled, “This is getting out of hand. Paro hates sweets, especially cinnamon buns. And those were even too sweet for me!” She sighed.  
Nycto put his hand on her shoulder. “I know. Paro’s gone completely loco. Let’s talk to Al. He should know if Zephyr’s in town.” Nycto and Norma walked down the hallway to Al’s room and knocked on the door.  
Al opened it, dressed in a bathrobe and his undies. “Oh! Nycto! Norma! Um...hi.” He pulled his robe close and let them inside. “So, what’s going on?” He asked. “Paro’s energy is completely off and he’s been acting like a complete nut job all day. Did either of you have anything to do with this?” He crossed his arms but looked more concerned than annoyed.  
“Maybe?” Nycto said. “We’re not quite sure.”  
Al facepalmed. “Look, did you two do anything that would change grumpy, moody, and gloomy Paro into this...hyperactive cheerleader that he’s become?” He took a deep breath. “There are spells that could make him act like this, or maybe one of you has his book?”  
“Well…” Norma rubbed her arm nervously. “I might have made a wish that Paro and I would have more in common...like we did as kids…” She bit her lip.  
Al’s eyes went wide. “Zephyr. You’re saying that...you’re saying that you believe Zephyr, the Paranormal of Starlight, granted your wish and turned Paro into...Anti-Paro?” He sat down in shock. “This is bad, this is really bad.”  
“Zephyr can reverse it, right?” Norma asked. “If they’re able to grant wishes then reversing wishes should be a cinch. Right?” She added, “All I know from wishes is what I’ve read in fairytales.”  
Al sighed. “Yes, Zephyr can reverse wishes but it’s against their rules. Zephyr is extremely particular when it comes to the wish-granting rules they follow. When they visit somewhere, every Paranormal gets one wish. It has to be something you truly want, and won’t regret, because Zephyr has never reversed a wish. Well, except on one occasion, but that’s a bit of a long-shot.”  
“What happened?” Nycto asked. “Maybe we could do the same thing!”  
With a shrug, Al said, “I don’t know the details, but I believe that you have to be willing to risk everything in order for your wish to be reversed. Zephyr should be in town, if you want to try.”  
“Are you sure?” Nycto asked.  
“Zeph’s an old friend of mine. They texted me a couple of days ago asking if I wanted to hang out. I did want to introduce you three but I believe that is out the window.” He sighed. “I’ve got paperwork I need to do, so I can’t tag along, but you two should be fine going into town by yourselves.” As they left he added, “And take Paro with you! It should make things easier, and he’s also really creeping me out!”  
Nycto and Norma headed down the stairs to find Paro, in an apron and rubber gloves, washing the dishes. He was whistling a familiar tune that was way too catchy and upbeat for something Paro would listen to. Norma gasped. “Paro...is that a Vibes song?”  
“Yeah! I gave them a chance like you asked and I love their music!” He hummed along to the song he was listening to and danced along with it.  
Suddenly, Norma felt extremely guilty. “What about Scrapmetal? Isn't that your favorite band?” She asked cautiously.  
“What? Ew, no. Scrapmetal sounds like a dying cat's nails on a chalkboard.” Paro stuck out his tongue. “The Vibes are where it's at! Omg Norma, we should do a Vibes karaoke night! You can sing the high parts and I'll sing low!” He began mumbling about half the words and properly pronounced the rest.  
“Okay, Paro,” Nycto said, grabbing his cousin’s arm. “Let’s get you back to normal.” He started to lead Paro out the door.  
“But what about the dishes?” Paro asked.  
“We’ll take care of them later,” Norma assured him. “Right now, we’re just trying to find someone.”  
“Ooooh, who?” Paro asked. “I’ll help!”   
“Right,” Nycto groaned. “We forgot to ask Al what Zephyr looks like.”  
“I’ll text him,” Norma said. “Come on, let’s go.” The three of them left the house and walked down the street; before too long they were in the downtown part of the city. As they walked, Norma’s phone buzzed. She opened and read the message Al had sent to her. “He says Zephyr has light blue hair and dresses exceptionally flamboyantly. We should be able to spot them in a crowd. Also, we need to be careful out in public.” Norma rolled her eyes. “Of course we do.” She turned and saw that Paro was no longer walking with them. “Paro?” she asked. She gasped when she saw Paro skipping up the road.   
“PARO!!” Nycto and Norma both shouted, running after him. Paro, somehow completely oblivious to it all, just happily continued up the road, smiling and greeting everyone he saw.  
Including a tall, cocky young man with blond hair. “Marshall…” Nycto growled. He power-walked up to Paro and put his arm around Paro’s shoulder. “Hey Marshall, it’s been a while since we’ve seen you out of school.”  
Marshall grinned wickedly. “It really has, hasn’t it?” He laughed. “I see that Paro’s still as friendly as ever. You could really take a page from his book. Speaking of, Paro, can I see your book?”  
“Sure!” Paro laughed. Paro was about to hand it over when Norma interjected herself between them.  
“No, Paro. Do not give the Paranormal Hunter your book.” She scolded, before glaring at Marshall. “What are you even doing here, anyway?”  
Marshall laughed and shrugged. “I live in town too, you know! Also, there’s word of an extra powerful Paranormal in town. Dad’s out of town for a few days, so I’m going to catch them.” He leaned in and added. “Between you and me, you should keep Paro on a leash because he’s wandering off again.”  
Norma and Nycto whirled around to see Paro being led down the street by a strange looking boy. “This isn't o--” Norma turned to see that Marshall was gone. “--ver.”  
“Come on, Norma!” Nycto shouted, pulling her down the street. They caught up with him again and Nycto turned to the boy. “Not today, kid.”   
The boy glared and walked off, vanishing into the crowd. Nycto told Norma, “Fairies. Never trust them.” As Paro started to wander off again, Nycto grabbed him by the back of his collar. “And you are staying next to me.””  
Paro giggled as Nycto held onto his wrist. With a deep breath, Nycto said, “Let’s look for Zephyr. If only we had a way to track them down…” He muttered. He pulled out his book, briefly letting go of Paro. Norma managed to grab Paro before he wandered off again.  
“Oooh,” Paro gasped. “Look at that!” He pointed into the crowd. Norma and Nycto looked to see a small, young-looking person with tan skin and bright blue hair. They had a white hoodie with a pink hood, white shorts, and striped stockings. The the zipper of their hoodie was a blue stone pendant. Their eyes were bright blue with pink pupils.  
The person--obviously a Paranormal--noticed the three of them. They stared at each other for a minute before the other Paranormal ran off. “Hey! Wait!” Norma shouted. The three of them ran after the blue Paranormal. They were fast, but the others were able to keep them in sight.  
The Paranormal turned down an alley and began jumping from wall to wall up to the roof. Nycto groaned and began jumping after them. “Paro, summon your chains!” Norma said.  
“Okay!” Paro agreed. He summoned his spirit chains, and Norma threw them up, where they actually lassoed around the Paranormal. Norma yanked the chain down, pulling the Paranormal to the ground. Nycto groaned and backflipped onto the ground.  
Paro saw the Paranormal fall and gasped. He ran over and held out his hands, catching the smaller Paranormal in his arms. “Hi there! Wanna be friends?” He asked excitedly.  
“Sure, just...put me down.” The small Paranormal said. Paro immediately complied, but the small one didn’t run off. They brushed their clothes off and said, “My name is Zephyr, and I suppose I owe each of you a wish.” They were polite and kind, but also rather put off.  
Looking at them closely, Norma noticed that they were really pretty and she felt herself blush. “I-we-well-um…” she inhaled deeply. “We need you to reverse a wish for me.”  
Zephyr’s expression became very cold and angry. “Really?” They asked. “You yanked me down to reverse. A. Wish!?” They angrily snapped. “I’m assuming that your wish wasn’t thought through and now you regret making it.”  
Norma sighed. “To be fair, I didn’t even expect my wish to be granted,” she said. “But yes...I’m regretting making it. Please, I’ll do anything!”  
“Anything?” Zephyr asked.  
“Anything,” Norma agreed.  
Zephyr thought for a moment. “Alright...I’m strict, but not cruel. I will reverse your wish for you. However! However! After I do this for you, you will lose all of your wishing privileges. Understand?” They stepped up to Norma and pushed their finger into her chest.  
“Wait. Does this mean I can’t physically make wishes or…”  
Zephyr groaned. “You can physically and audibly make wishes. They just won’t ever be granted ever again. Making wishes is your right, but having wishes granted is a privilege. A privilege I will be taking away.”  
Nycto looked concerned and asked, “Wait, none of her wishes can be granted? By absolutely anyone? That seems a little extreme. It’d be more understandable if you said that you wouldn’t grant anymore of her wishes.” He grew thoughtful. “How would you even do that, anyway?”  
“This is between the girl and me. But, if you must know, it’s a perfectly fitting punishment. Hrmmm...what are your names again?” Zephyr asked.  
“I’m Norma, the Paranormal of Life,” Norma introduced herself.  
“Nycto, the Paranormal of Night,” Nycto added.  
“Alright. Norma made a careless wish. Said wish was granted, and now she wants to take it back. She doesn’t have to worry about being careful with her wishes anymore, since none of them will be granted. It’s the price she has to pay for having me take her wish back. And I can do this by setting a wish blocker on her when I reverse her wish,” Zephyr explained. “Oh um...your friend is wandering off.” They pointed to Paro, who had indeed started to wander off again.  
They summoned a staff like Norma’s, but thinner and topped with a blue, star-shaped staff. They whipped out a rainbow-colored ribbon which wrapped around Paro and pulled him to them. “Wheeee!!!” Paro giggled as he spun around to them.  
Though a bit wobbly, Paro giggled and said, “That was fun!”  
Zephyr couldn’t help but giggle a little themelf. “Who’s this cheerful guy?”  
“I’m Paro, the Paranormal of Death!” Paro introduced himself. “Hiiiiiii!!!”  
“Wait, what?” Zephyr asked. “Okay, so you’re even more cheerful than I was thinking. Weird. I’d expect the Paranormal of Death to be more...gloomy and morbid.” They shook their head. “Back on subject. Norma, those are my terms. If I reverse the wish, you give up having any of your wishes granted.”  
“That’s fair,” Norma admitted. “Very well,I agree to your terms.”  
“We’ll make a Paranormal deal.” They held their held their pendant with one hand and extended the other. Norma did the same and their shook hands. Norma felt a pulse of of energy surge through her.  
“Very well,” Zephyr said. “The deal is made. What was the wish?”  
As Norma was about to tell him, they all heard loud cackling as a large red power fist crashed into the ground between them. “Thanks for finding the wish granter for me!” Marshall laughed. He jumped down before pulling out a red energy whip.  
“Oh no you don’t!” Norma shouted. She summoned her staff and blocked the whip from hitting Zephyr. “I’m sorry! We didn’t know he was following us!”  
“I’m sure you didn’t,” Zephyr agreed. “I’ve dealt with Marshall and Ender before.” They began spinning their ribbon like a tornado, creating a bright blue light that shot at the young hunter.  
Marshall laughed and his whip turned into a shield. When the blue starlight collided with it, it turned into red energy and flew right back at Zephyr. “No!” Norma shouted. She jumped in the way, colliding with the energy. She screamed in pain as the energy burned her. She collapsed onto the ground, completely immobile.  
Paro blinked. “Norma?” He ran up to her and felt her forehead. “Norma…” He sighed. Standing up, his black aura grew, whipping and lashing around like wild snakes. His hair blew around, as if in an impossibly strong wind.“What. Did you do. To my sister.” He turned to face Marshall, and his eyes were pitch black.  
Nycto growled, and he grew a starry aura that matched Paro’s pitch black aura. “You’ve taken it to far, amigo,” He hissed. The two boys blasted their energy at Marshall, who groaned and leapt out of the way.  
“You guys are a bunch of spoilsports,” Marshall complained before leaping away.  
Paro and Nycto sighed and calmed down, their auras died down, and they picked Norma up. “Let’s get her home,” Nycto said. “Zephyr, will you please come with us?”  
“Of course,” Zephyr said. They followed closely behind.

“Well, on a positive note, Norma isn’t injured,” Al said. Norma was lying on the couch in the basement. He had drawn his three-ring symbol, which floated above Norma and bathed her in a soft gray light. “That being said, she’ll probably be out for a while. Taking a direct hit like that from Marshall did a number on her energy.”  
“I can’t believe she did that,” Zephyr sighed. “She really wants to reverse that wish.”  
“It’s not that,” Paro giggled. “Norma wanted to protect you! She’s one of the sweetest, most thoughtful people I know. And she’s serious about giving up her wishes.”  
Zephyr looked at Norma, almost touched. “Wait. Are you being truthful? She’s not doing this to get wishes from me?” They asked, brushing the hair out of her eyes. “You know, she’s really quite lovely. Thank you, Norma. I appreciate it.” They gently kissed Norma’s forehead.  
A spark of light flew from Zephyr’s kiss like a shooting star underneath Norma’s skin. Norma groaned and sat up. “Ugh. Good morning. I had the weirdest dream last…” She blinked, noticing Zephyr and blushing. “Wait, it wasn’t a dream, was it?”  
“Nope!” Paro giggled. “This has all been very, very real.” He hugged Norma tightly.  
“Okay, okay, stop. You’re freaking me out,” Norma said.   
“Now that you’re awake,” Zephyr said, “We can get to work on reversing your wish. To begin, I need to know what you originally wished for.”  
“Oh! Well, honestly I hadn’t expected my wish to be granted, but I was just talking with Nycto and wished that Paro and I were more alike, like when we were kids.” She pointed to Paro, who was now humming a silly little song for no reason. “And it turned him into that.”  
“Ohhhhh...that explains a lot,” Zephyr said. “I was wondering why the Paranormal of Death was so cheerful. Alright, let’s see what I can do.” They summoned their ribbon and waved it around Paro. He glowed with a light blue aura, which flashed and pushed the ribbon outwards. “Oh!” Zephyr gasped with surprise. “That’s unexpected...but it also explains a lot.”  
“What’s up?” Norma asked. “Is something wrong?”  
“No, actually. This is actually very, very good. While yes, it was a wish that made your brother act like this, it wasn’t your wish. Someone else made the wish that turned Paro into this preppy guy,” Zephyr explained.  
“What? Who!?” Nycto gasped.  
“Sorry, I don’t reveal my clients’ identities. The good news is that since you haven’t made a wish yet, you can make a wish to reverse this wish. Normally I would ask for an act of valor and some kind of payment, but you’ve more than proven yourself.” Zephyr said. “So, Norma, what is your wish?”  
Norma inhaled deeply. “I wish that Paro would turn back to his normal, usual, grumpy self.”  
With a nod, Zephyr began twirling their ribbon around Paro, who giggled with innocent delight. This time, Paro’s whole body began glowing, becoming enveloped in the blue starlight. There was a flash, and Paro dropped to the ground. “Ugh...I feel sick, like I was just eating pure sugar.” He stood up and looked at Zephyr (who immediately flinched). “I suppose I should thank you, so...thanks I guess. I’m going upstairs and eating something salty before all this sweetness makes me sick.” He headed upstairs.  
Zephyr yawned. “Al, old friend, can I take a nap?”  
“Of course. I’ll prepare a guest room.” Al led Zephyr upstairs, asking, “How long will you be staying?”  
“Not much longer. Ever since the Labyrinth was closed, being a Paranomad has becomes so much harder,” Zephyr sighed.  
“Hrmmmmmm…” Norma said thoughtfully as the two were out of sight.  
“Oh dear,” Nycto groaned. “It looks like you have an idea.”  
Norma winked. “Let’s get Paro.”

Norma, Paro, and Nycto led Zephyr, who was blindfolded. “You know this makes me nervous,” Zephyr said. “What’s this big surprise you wanted to show me?”  
“You’ll love it!” Norma giggled. She undid Zephyr’s blindfold to let them see. When they opened their eyes, they gasped in delight.  
“Is this?? It can’t be! We’re in the Heart of Labyrinth!” Zephyr said with delight. “But wait, what about the Minotaur?” They spun around with wonder and awe (as well as little fear).  
“You’re looking at him!” Nycto said. “I was turned into the minotaur because I was separated from my book. Don’t worry, though. Paro and Norma found it for me and I’m back to normal.”  
“That’s a relief,” Zephyr laughed. “So the Labyrinth is safe, and we’re in the Heart. Was this the surprise?”   
“Well, yes, but also…” Norma shyly admitted. “I asked Al, and he said he thinks you’d be able to live here, and use the Labyrinth to travel from town to town. That way we could...hang out again sometime.” She blushed.  
“That...that’s amazing!” Zephyr laughed. They summoned their ribbon and began dancing around with it happily. Caught in the mood, Norma summoned her staff and began dancing with them. The two of them laughed and danced together, singing all sorts of silly songs.  
Paro groaned and walked away, plugging his ears. “What’s wrong, Paro?” Nycto asked, following behind him.  
“There are two of them…” Paro groaned miserably.

After Norma and Zephyr were done dancing, Norma walked out of the Labyrinth by herself. Paro was watching a movie while lounging on the basement couch. Looking at her, he asked, “Aw, I thought you were on a date with your partner.”  
“Nah, we danced for a while, I got them a Labyrinth key, and then they said they had to take care of something in town.” She sighed dreamily and lounged on the armrest. “Paro, I think I’m in love.”  
“Good for you, sis,” Paro replied drily. “Speaking of, I listened to a few of those Vibes songs you sent me. I really don’t like the cheesy romance songs, but the one about loneliness and sadness really spoke to me.”  
“Wait. You like the Vibes?” Norma asked. “Awesome!” She thought for a moment. “Hey, you were planning on going to that poetry night on tuesday, right?”  
“Yeah.” Paro replied.  
“Would you want some sisterly company?” Norma asked nervously.  
Paro gave a small grin. “Sure. That sounds great.”  
Norma smiled back and then threw herself onto the couch, landing atop Paro’s legs. “So what’re we watching?” She asked.

Zephyr walked into the dark room, barely illuminated by the light of the moon. “Zephyr, you said that your wishes were unbreakable. What. Happened.” A demanding voice asked.  
“Someone undid your wish,” Zephyr replied casually. “They used their wish to cancel the magic of yours, and return the affected back to their original state.”  
“We had an agreement!”  
“Yes, and I honored it. Also, I did warn you about the consequences of a selfish wish like that.” Zephyr retorted. “But, as usual, no one listens to the wish granter.”  
“I wished for him to be happier!”  
“Yes, so that he’d be more open to dating you.” Zephyr argued. “Paro Jones is back to his original state, and from what I’ve seen he seems much happier that way. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to decorate my new home.” They pulled out their ribbon. “Goodbye, princess.”  
In a flash of light, Zephyr disappeared, leaving a blue haired girl gritting her teeth.


	6. True Goth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paro takes Norma's advice for once and goes to make new friends, leading him to meet a group of goth teens that call themselves the 'true goths'. He learns thaf each of them is a different supernatural being, and that they are intrigued with his own supernatural nature. But when he learns of their plans for a friday night, he's mot sure he wants to be True Goth anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mild drug use, semi nudity, swearing, and a character being trapped within their own body

While she loved him to pieces and would do anything for him, there were times that Norma had to be real with Paro. Like, for example, “Paro, you really need to make some friends. Any friends, really.” She had just walked in on him in his underwear, reading his book on the basement couch.  
“Friends are boring,” Paro commented, picking some spinach from his braces. “I’d much rather talk to Shadow.” He flipped through his book pages and grunted. “But it seems Shadow wants to talk to me.” He closed his book and groaned. “So...why do I ‘really’ need to make some friends?”  
“Because you have absolutely no friends aside from me and Nycto. And no, Al and Ari don’t count,” Norma scolded. “You push away everyone who tries to become friends with you by threats or those really intense glares you give.” She sat next to him and sighed. “Then you complain about how Nycto and I never have time to hang out with you.”  
“I have never complained to you about that,” Paro mumbled, looking away from his sister.  
“No, but Shadow and Lumeria can talk to each other, and apparently Shadow hears about it a lot.”  
Paro groaned and shut his book. “Whatever,” he grumbled. “It’s not like any wants to be my friend, anyway. Like, more than fifty percent of everyone I talk to runs off in the opposite direction.”  
“That might be because you glare and growl at everyone, and most of what comes out of your mouth is a euphemism for ‘I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully.’” Norma said. “Paro, I know you have trouble talking with people but unless you make an attempt, no one is going to want to be friends with you.”  
Paro groaned. “No matter what exaggerations Shadow told you, I'm perfectly fine being a miserable hermit.” He stood up, brushed past Norma, and headed outside.  
Nycto walked downstairs and said, “I’ve never seen anyone smoke so aggressively before. Did you say something to make Paro upset?”  
“Just that he should try to make more friends,” Norma replied. “Nothing too out of the ballpark.”  
Nycto sighed. “Norma, I feel the same way, but you can't go around just telling people they need to make friends.” He rubbed her head and continued, “Just think about how you say it.”  
Norma sighed. “Okay, okay, I get it.”  
“Now let's attempt to get Paro to study with us for that test tomorrow.” Nycto and Norma walked back up the stairs.

The next day, in his history class, Paro took his test. Luckily he had studied with Nycto and Norma for it, because it was a doozy. He was still pretty miffed at Norma, but now that he’d calmed down, he could understand her point of view. He looked around to see if anyone wanted to be friends with him, but whenever they looked his direction, no matter what they’d look away as if they’d seen a ghost.  
“Now I’m going to assign you partners for your research project,” their teacher said. There was a collective groan from the class (excluding Paro, who was mulling in thought about Norma’s words). “First, Precious and Amanda.”  
“Awww…” Precious pouted, glancing over to the still-distracted Paro. She blew him a small kiss and whispered, “Someday, Paro. Someday.” She began doodling in her notebook with blue ink.  
Paro stared off the space until he heard, “Paro and Miss Teri.”  
“Miss...who?” Paro asked. He sat up and was looking around when the bell rang. Everyone got up and was grabbing their books. When Paro walked out of the classroom, he stopped one of his classmates--Casey--by grabbing his shoulder.  
Casey tensed up, and with a white face asked, “Y-yes, Paro?” From his appearance, it was like he expected Paro to try to hurt him.  
Paro sighed and tried to force a grin; this only made Casey go whiter. "Could you tell me what class Miss Teri has? I need to discuss our project with her." He realized he was clutching Casey's shoulder extremely tight and let go. "Ah, sorry."  
"M-miss Teri has study hall this period. She usually spends it in the library." Casey shakily pointed down the hall.  
Paro sighed with relief. "Thanks, Casey." He smiled at the other boy before walking down the hall. He didn't see, but Casey's cheeks turned bright red.  
There was an upside to Paro's kind of scary aura--people dodged him when he moved through the halls. He walked with purpose, passing a group of kids in dark clothes. They stared at him as he passed and he flipped them off as he kept walking. He slowed down and walked quietly into the library.  
The librarian pretty much hated him, because of "delinquency" and the fact he smelled like cigarettes. She glared at him as he stopped and looked around. With a small, internal groan, he walked up to the librarian and asked, "Do you know Miss Teri?"  
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. What of it?" The librarian replied snottily. Paro resisted the urge to roll his eyes--who used "what of it" anymore?  
"I need to talk to her. We were assigned a group project together," He explained. "However, she walked out of the classroom before I got a chance to even see what she looked like." Despite his calm tone, the librarian glared at him like she expected him to steal something. "Did she come in here?"  
With a sigh, the librarian pointed to a girl who was alone at a table in the corner. She was reading a book intently and taking notes, occasionally brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Thanks," Paro told the librarian before walking over to Miss Teri's table.  
He sat down next to her and started to say, "Hello, I'm-" She looked up, and Paro's brain froze.  
Miss Teri was beautiful. She had long, black wavy hair, chestnut-brown skin, and gorgeous golden eyes framed by cats-eye glasses. She had a prominent nose and freckles, and she had dark blue eyeshadow and lipstick. She had a simple black sleeveless dress, with black and white striped stockings and black flats. Around her neck was a necklace with a charm in the shape of an open book.  
"Paro!" Paro suddenly shouted, remembering how to speak and startling Miss Teri. The librarian glared and shushed him before going back to work.  
Now blushing, Paro said, "I'm Paro. Paro Jones. We're group partners." He held his hand out for a handshake.  
Miss Teri smiled ever so slightly and shook his hand. "I'm Theresa Fication, but you can call me Miss Teri--everyone does." Her voice was sweet and warm, if somewhat quiet. "Sorry if I ran out on you, I just wanted to get started on our project and I'm used to doing all the work."  
"Not a problem," Paro shyly replied, rubbing the back of his head. He snapped to attention and said, "But I fully intend to help, I promise!"  
After a moment of surprise and a little confusion, Miss Teri snorted. The snort became a chuckle, which devolved into her laughing like she'd heard the funniest joke in the world. When she calmed herself down, she smiled at Paro and said, "I believe you."  
With a breath of relief, Paro lounged across the table. "Thank goodness. I'm terrible at expressing myself."  
"Well, that's something we definitely have in common," Miss Teri chuckled. "Sorry I started without you, I just figured you'd be like all my other project partners. Anyway, we're researching James Edward Oglethorpe."  
For once, Paro couldn't hold it in. With a snort and snicker he said, "Oglethorpe? That's a weird name--and my name is Paro!"  
"I know, right?" Miss Teri giggled. "That's why I chose him." The two of them high-fived, and she continued, "I was thinking of focusing our project on his influence in Pennsylvania."  
"Nice! What are we doing? Report? Poster? Slideshow?" Paro asked.  
"A slideshow would be a lot of fun! Especially with help," Miss Teri admitted, blushing a tiny bit.  
Seeing her blush a little made Paro blush a lot. "Great!" Paro commented. "So, what do you want me to do?" When Miss Teri looked at him in confusion, he blushed and explained, "You just seem a lot smarter than me."  
Miss Teri blinked at the compliment, but graciously said, "Well thank you, Paro. Why don't you start research on his early life while I look for more of his achievements."  
"Sounds good to me," Paro replied with a smile--a genuine smile. The two of them began working, unaware someone was watching them.

Nycto and Norma couldn't help but notice Paro's change in behavior as the trio walked home. Usually he silently stuck behind them, only interjecting the occasional sarcastic and rude comment. Today, Paro was walking ahead and humming a tune--Norma recognized it as a Vibes song.  
"Paro, are you feeling alright? You're not under another spell, are you?" The last time Paro had acted so positively, he'd been under the influence of a wish.  
Paro stopped and gave Norma the most Paro-like look she'd ever seen. "It's almost upsetting that you don't think I can be happy on my own."  
She froze and replied, "Sorry, Paro, this is just...really unexpected. You haven't acted this happy since we were kids." Then she gasped. "Oh my gosh...you have a crush!!" She giggled excitedly and grabbed Paro's arm, jumping up and down.  
Now, in this situation, a normal person would blush and deny it. Paro's face remained pale as ever when he replied, "Yeah, so?"  
Without warning Norma squealed with excitement and wrapped bother her arms around Paro. Paro looked annoyed (then again, when did he not?), but Nycto asked, "Who is it?"  
"Who is what?" Paro asked grumpily.  
"Your crush!" Norma pried. "You haven't had a crush since Alex back in third grade! This is huge!!" She was now jumping around a very, very confused Nycto.  
Paro sighed and grudgingly admitted, "Her name is Miss Teri." Now he blushed--a pale purplish color.  
Both Nycto and Norma froze and turned to Paro with their jaws hanging. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Norma asked, "You like Miss Teri?"  
"Yes." Paro replied, though somewhat angrily. "I met her in the library, and my heart has been racing ever since." He seemed annoyed about this and crossed his arms. "God I hate my emotions.” He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff.  
Norma backed up and rolled her eyes. “Really Paro?”  
“Yep,” Paro replied. “Y’all can head home without me, I need to get a new pack of cigs.” He waved at the two of them and walked away, puffing at his cigarette. His back hunched over and he put his hands in his pockets as he walked. A crush? That’s so embarrassing. Geez, why did Norma--wait…He noticed a group of teens following behind him. They were dressed in shades of black, with colored hair, much like Paro’s. He noticed them but didn’t pay them any mind, even when he recognized them as the goth kids from the school.  
When he got to the convenience store, the clerk noticed him through the window and nodded. Paro nodded and walked to the side of the store where the camera was broken (and hadn’t been fixed). After about five minutes, the clerk came out holding a pack of cigarettes. “Paro, we can’t keep doing this, you know. I could get fired.”  
“Thanks, Sherry,” Paro said, handing her the money for the pack. “You know I appreciate you doing this for me.” He handed her an extra five-dollar bill and added, “Here’s for the trouble.”  
Sherry sighed and said, “Thanks, bud. I’ll see you next Thursday, okay?” She held her hand out for a fistbump.  
“See you then,” Paro replied. He pocketed the cigarettes and walked around the building, running straight into the group of goth kids. They were all staring at him expectantly, but a taller girl with blue-tipped hair was the only one who approached.  
Paro and the girl stared at each other for about a minute before Paro sighed and asked, "What do you want?"  
The girl shrugged. "Just wanted to meet the famous Paro Jones in person. You're the kid who got arrested for robbing a restaurant, right?"  
"Yep," Paro replied, taking a draw of his cigarette. He really just wanted to walk back home, but this group was pretty much blocking his way out.  
“You buy cigarettes even though you’re only 15?” She continued, leaning in. Up close, she was really pretty, but there was a slightly cold look in her eye that sent shivers down Paro’s spine.  
What the?? Paro thought. Do I...like her?? His head was spinning from his confusing thoughts as he asked, “What’s it to you?” He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.  
The girl laughed, “Nothing, I just think you’re cool! The name’s Trixany, but you can call me T.” She held out her hand and added, “I was wondering if you’d want to hang out with my friends and me.”  
Paro looked at her and her friends. With a better look, they each had something slightly off about them. Back at his old town, Paro had a group of goth friends, but they’d been normal(ish) human goth kids. Something in his gut told Paro that there was more to these kids than what met the eyes. “Hrm...yeah, okay. Just let me call my uncle.” He pulled out his phone and pulled up Al’s contact.  
“Hey, wait,” one of the kids said. “You’re supposed to be this big rebellious criminal, right? Why are you calling your unkie? Are you some kind of baby?” He asked mockingly.  
“Sure, yeah, whatever,” Paro commented. He picked some lettuce from his braces and hit the call button. “Hey Uncle Al, it’s Paro. I’m gonna be home a bit later than usual. Yeah I’m hanging out with some kids from school. Yeah I love you too, bye.” He hung up his phone and said, “I have to be home by dinner, unless one of y’all is buying.”  
The other kids shared mutual confused looks and one of the girls snickered. “You have a curfew?”  
“No, I just have a stomach. So, we’re hanging out, right? What are we doing?” He crossed his arms and added, “You...do have an idea what we’re going to do, right?” He puffed his cigarette. “Also...what are y’alls names, anyway?”  
“Right...okay. So you know I’m T, these guys are Daron, Alyra, Omar, and Felix,” T introduced. As she said their names, Paro looked at each of them. T was a stand out--she had long platinum blonde hair with pink, blue, and purple highlights. Her eyes changed color in the light. Her clothes were strangely ragged.  
Daron was the best dressed. She had long brown tied in a ponytail, was dressed in a black pantsuit, with a white shirt and a tie. Her feet were adorned with sharp black dress shoes. Her teeth and nails were strangely kind of sharp, and she had dark brown skin. She was also super buff.  
Alyra and Omar seemed to be related--they had brown skin and curly dark brown hair. They were dressed in similar outfits, with strange, occult-like jewelry. They had identically scrutinizing expressions as they stared at Paro.  
Quentin looked like he was dead. He was swaying like he was going to collapse, his skin was deathly pale, and he was very clearly just staring off into space. He was taller than the others, and was super thin. He had a black hoodie and dark gray shredded jeans.  
“And then my boyfriend Alex lives above the grocery store. We were actually heading over there to go get him.” T patted Paro’s shoulder and moved him to the front of the group. “Alex is kind of the leader, so he needs to meet you first.”  
“Riiight…” Paro said. “Okay, fine, but let’s not take too long. I actually have things I want to do today.” He walked with the others to a small, local grocery store.  
At the counter was a pale, white-haired man with a beard. "Ah! Trixany! Hello! Aleksandri is up in his room. Shall I go get him for you?"  
"No need, Mr. Zima. Oh, speaking of, meet Paro! He's a new friend of ours." She pushed Paro forward, and he held out his hand.  
"Hello, I'm Paro Jones," Paro introduced himself drily. He didn't feel nervous, per se, but was suddenly very aware of how bored he sounded.  
"Dimitri Zima, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Mr. Zima shook Paro's hand vigorously, and Paro could feel that it was icy cold. "It's always nice when Aleksandri makes a new friend. They...usually don't stay long." Mr. Zima seemed very disheartened by the fact.  
His demeanor made Paro suspicious, but not enough to actually do anything. Mr. Zima continued, "Aleksandri is in his room."  
"Thanks, Mr. Zima!" T brightly replied. Paro and the others headed upstairs, with T's friends muttering faint hellos.   
As they headed up the stairs, and Paro heard a faint strumming guitar. T happily ran up and knocked on the door. "Alex~~I have someone I want you meet!"  
"Come in!" A deep voice shouted.  
T opened the door and the group walked in. Alex (Paro guessed) was sitting in the dark, but he was still pretty easy to recognize. He had the same white hair as his parents, and was dressed in a black, long-sleeve shirt with a red skull on the front. He was strumming an acoustic guitar and humming along, with his fangs poking out of his mouth. He opened one eye to look at Paro, and his iris was blood red.  
"I take it you're a vampire?" Paro asked.  
"You sound...surprisingly unsurprised," Alex commented.   
"I'm a Paranormal. I'm used to it by now," Paro replied. "Name's Paro Jones."  
"I've heard of you. Aleksandri Zima. Folks call me Alex." Alex held out his hand and Paro shook it. Like his father, Alex had an ice-cold grip. "You're a Paranormal?"  
"Yeah, the Paranormal of Death," Paro replied. "It's…as much of a drag as you'd imagine," he sighed.  
"Well, hang with us for a while and we'll show you the fun side of monster life," Alex replied with a wink. He began playing and singing on his guitar, and Paro and the others filed into the room, sitting in various spots.  
"Did you bring it, Quentin?" Omar asked.  
Quentin nodded and pulled out a small cigarette. He lit it, and immediately the room was filled with a sour smell. He puffed it before handing it over to Omar.  
Internally, Paro groaned. Of course they smoke weed. Why wouldn't they?  
Eventually, Alex was holding out the blunt to Paro. Paro took it and immediately handed it back to Quentin without pause. "No...smoke?" Quentin asked, in a slow, drawn-out voice.  
"You scared?" Alyra taunted.  
"Hardly," Paro commented.  
"Then take a puff," Omar added.  
"No." Paro's voice was flat, but firm. All of the others looked at him in surprise, as if expecting him to defend himself. He didn't comply.  
"You're being such a drag," Alyra huffed. She motioned for Quentin to give the blunt back to Paro, but Paro didn't take it.  
"If he doesn't want it, he doesn't have to take it," Alex said. "Sorry, Paro, the twins can be...pushy."  
Alyra and Omar glared at Paro like he had insulted several generations of their family right in front of them. The others seemed cool enough, but he didn't really like those two. Standing up, he said, "Yeah, I'm heading out."  
"You don't want to hang out?" T asked after another puff. "We don't mind that you don't blaze...we like hanging with you." Her voice was slurring.  
"Yeah, well, I don't like being the only sober person in the room." He grabbed his bag and started to walk out.  
"Wait, Paro!" Alex shouted. "Sorry, we didn't mean to make you feel left out."  
"Look, I have a presentation I have to work on. Y'all enjoy being high or whatever, I'm going to the library." Paro gave a half-wave and left.  
When the door shut, he heard Omar loudly comment, "Well, I don't like him. He's no fun."  
With an eye roll, Paro walked down the stairs. He said goodbye to Alex's parents and then headed to the library.

About an hour later, Paro walked through Al's front door and shouted, "I'm home!" He tossed his bookbag on the floor and walked into the kitchen to make a PB&J.   
"So…" Al said, leaning in the doorway. "Who are your new friends?" He was dressed in surprisingly casual clothing (for him), holding a mug of tea.  
"What's it worth to you? And why are you dressed like that?" Paro replied. "Hot date?"  
"Yes, actually," Al replied, fixing his hair in the mirror. "I have a life outside work, you know. Now, you can answer my question."  
"Some kids at school...they call themselves the True Goths or whatever." Paro replied nonchalantly. When he saw the alarmed and intense look that Al was giving him, he added, "It's no big deal…"  
"Paro, those kids are absolute delinquents and I forbid you from hanging out with them again," Al snapped. "They are a bad influence and I refuse to let you fall to it."  
Paro was silent, chewing on his sandwich. When he swallowed, he commented, "All we did was hang out in Alex's room." Not exactly the full truth, but not quite a lie, either.  
"What did you do while you were there?" Al asked suspiciously.  
"Talk," Paro replied. That, at least, was the truth...for Paro at least.  
Though he didn't seem entirely convinced, Al sighed and said, "Okay, fine. As long as you stay out of trouble, I suppose it's better if you hang out with them with my permission. I'll see you tonight, bud." Al kissed Paro's forehead and left.   
Paro rolled his eyes and headed upstairs. He could hear Nycto and Norma playing video games, when a knock at the door caught his attention. He opened it to see T, bashful and apologetic.  
"I'm sorry about earlier; Alyra and Omar can be really pushy sometimes and it has a tendency to push people away," she explained, ringing her hands together nervously.  
"It's fine, I don't care, really," Paro replied. "People are jerks, I'm well aware." His voice was flatter than usual. "But you don't have to worry about me, I'm fine. I won't bother you guys anymore." He started to shut the door.  
"No, wait. We talked with Alyra and Omar, and we wanna invite you to hang out with us at the graveyard on Friday." T smiled half-nervously   
Come to think of it, I haven't been to a graveyard since Norma and I moved here, Paro thought. Norma wasn't big on the whole doom-and-gloom vibe, Nycto had his own weird things he did at night, and it wasn't that fun to go alone. With a sigh he said, "Okay, sure. But if Alyra and Omar pull any crap, I'll leave."  
"Oh, don't worry; it was Alyra's idea!" T explained.  
Paro's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Really? What will we be doing in the graveyard, anyway?"  
T shrugged. "Hang out, eat snacks, maybe try some occult magic. Omar says that he found a way to summon a demon called Ymigsklo!" She giggled. "It's probably a fluke, but those two are pretty weird.” She brushed her hair out of her cold, but strangely sincere eyes.  
"Sounds fun, I guess?" Paro replied. "I'll see you then. Bye." He shut the door as T walked off, feeling much more confused than he did before.  
"Nycto! Norma! I'm gonna go to the library! Either of you wanna come with me?" He shouted.  
“Nah!!” They shouted in unison. With an unimpressed eye roll, Paro left the house and walked to the library. He felt mixed emotions of excitement and fear, which made his stomach grumbly and his heart racy. A small grin grew on his face as he excitedly ran to the library.

As the week went on, Paro spent alternating time with Miss Teri and the True Goths. Aside from Alyra and Omar, the group was actually fairly enjoyable to be in. They didn’t question his smoking, he didn’t question their weed-ing. Being surrounded by the undead was a tad weird but he wasn’t overly concerned.  
With Miss Teri, Paro couldn’t think of the right words to say. His mind would stutter, his heart would race, and he was afraid he’d say something wrong. Despite this, he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could. For the first time, he was picking out clothes and jewelry that he thought she’d like.  
It felt like Paro was a flipping switch, but he didn’t mind. He was hanging with T in study hall. They were reading in the library together, when someone cleared her voice, causing them to look up. Alyra and Omar were standing next to them, looking smug as ever. “Hey, T, and...Paro. We’re going to add a bit of fun.” Alyra said as Omar held out a book. There was an ancient-looking drawing of a blue, five-eyed demon with blue flaming hair. The demon was holding blue fireballs while what looked like burning stick figures. “We’re going to try to summon Ymigsklo. It says that he’ll grant us any favor for whatever we can repay him.”  
“Eemy-sglow?” Paro asked. “How the heck do you pronounce that name?” When Alyra and Omar just gave him unimpressed looks, he shrugged and commented, “Whatever. But you guys are really going to try to summon a demon?”  
T chuckled. “We’ve done summonings before. Alyra and Omar are pretty competent with their magic.” Paro was surprised that T was so open to talk about their supernatural aspects in public, but he kept quiet to not attract attention. “You don’t have to join the summoning, but we’d be happy to have you tag along.”  
Paro didn’t respond right away--didn’t know how to--but managed a quiet, “I don’t know…”   
As Alyra and Omar were about to make their usual snide remarks, T held onto Paro’s hand with both of hers and looked him straight in the eyes. The coldness melted away and they shimmered like jewels. Paro’s body tensed, as if he was paralyzed. In a sweet voice, she asked, “Please?”  
“Sure,” Paro said. The word was out of his mouth before he could stop it.  
With a big smile that closed her eyes, T said, “Okay! See you there!” She giggled and hopped up before walking off with Alyra and Omar. Paro cringed as he was hit with a small headache between his eyes. He rubbed his temple and groaned, resting his head on the table with his eyes closed.  
“Paro?” Paro opened his eyes again to see Miss Teri, as well as Norma and Nycto. All three of them looked equally concerned. Miss Teri asked, “Paro, are you okay?”  
“...No…” Paro said. “My head hurts and I think I just agreed to something I don’t really want to do.” He sat up and rubbed his head some more in pain. “I’m going to go to the nurse’s office.” He got up and walked out of the library, his headache growing with each moment.  
“Hey Paro?” Miss Teri asked. “What were they talking about?”  
“Summoning some guy called Miss Iggy Glow or something,” Paro grumbled. “I dunno...I need a nap.” He walked off, leaving the others.  
“‘Summon’?” Miss Teri asked herself. Turning to Norma and Nycto, she said, “I’m going to try to figure out who or what this ‘Miss Iggy Glow’ is. They might be dangerous, so try to keep Paro safe--please keep him away from the graveyard and the True Goths.”  
Norma chuckled and said, “That shouldn’t be too hard; Paro will never do anything he doesn’t want to.”  
Miss Teri bit her lip nervously. “That might usually be the case, but I think things might be different this time.”

Later that evening, Paro was lying in his room. Al explained, “Yeah, all he did was say, ‘I have a headache’ and go upstairs. Did something happen at school?”  
“He said he agreed to go to the graveyard and summoning some guy with a name he couldn’t remember,” Norma replied. “Should we be worried? Our friend Miss Teri said to try to keep Paro home.”  
“Sounds good. Knowing Paro, he won’t participate in the summoning if he can help it,” Al replied. “Also, Paro doesn’t seem like he’s going to go anywhere tonight.” He kissed Norma and Nycto and said, “I’m going to have a late night at the firm. Love you, see you later!” He left and drove off.  
The sun was already going down when Norma sat down and looked at Nycto. “I’m scared. I wanted Paro to have friends but I didn’t want him to go through all of this.” She sighed. “I meant someone like Miss Teri, not...those other guys.”  
“Miss Teri’s nice, but you know that Paro wants to be more than just friends with her,” Nycto said. “Paro actually really likes the True Goths, except for Alyra and Omar. The others are pretty nice and respectful when he outright doesn’t want to do something. Besides, Paro needs more friends like him.”  
As he said that, Paro walked downstairs. He was dressed in a hoodie, since it was getting colder out, and aside from him not wearing his makeup, he looked pretty normal. “Hey guys, I’m heading out,” he said. “I need to meet the others.”  
As he started to head to the door, Nycto hopped up and stood in between Paro and the door. Paro looked a tad annoyed, but didn’t comment. “Hey, buddy,” Nycto said. “Why don’t you hang out with me and Norma tonight? We haven’t seen a lot of you this week.”  
“Isn’t that the reason you wanted me to make friends? So I’m hanging around you guys less?” Paro asked.  
“You...know that’s not why,” Nycto replied, trying to keep the growl out of his voice with a fair amount of difficulty. “Paro, look, we just want you to be happy, and, of course, safe. I don’t think that you should go.”  
“I’ll be fine,” Paro said.  
“What about your headache?” Norma asked. “Or the fact that Miss Teri asked us to keep you home and safe from whatever they’re summoning.” She walked up and put her hand on his shoulder. “Come on, we’ll play UNO.”  
“I’ll pass,” Paro said drily. “I’m fine, my headache is gone and c’mon, it’s not like I can’t defend myself. I’ll talk to Miss Teri when we’re back to school about her concerns.” He stepped past the other two with little resistance.  
“Is there any way we can convince you to stay?” Norma asked pleadingly.  
“No. I have to go. I promised.” Paro’s voice was surprisingly desperate under its monotone flatness. Norma let go of him and he opened the door, walking out into the night.  
“Why didn’t we stop him?” Nycto asked.  
“I didn’t want to make it blow into a full feud,” Norma answered. “Paro’s right, he’s always been a competent fighter; even before we developed our powers.” She sighed. “But...that doesn’t mean we can’t tag along without him knowing…”  
As she said that, there was rapid knocking on the door. She opened it to a frazzled Miss Teri, with wild eyes and disheveled hair. “Please tell me you managed to keep Paro from leaving!”  
“Um...he just left,” Norma said.  
Miss Teri looked absolutely harried. “The person they’re summoning isn’t ‘Miss Iggy Glow’, it’s Ymigsklo. As in, Ymigsklo the Destroyer. He’s a powerful, dangerous demon that is absolutely hellbent on destroying everything in sight!” She groaned. “Alyra and Omar aren’t super powerful, but if they have a power source like Paro…” She pulled on her hair, “They just might be able to pull it off…”  
“Wait, huh?” Nycto asked. “Wait...you’re a Paranormal!! I knew I recognized you!”  
Miss Teri nodded. “The Paranormal of Stories,” she explained. “And I don;t think this story is going to end well. Norma, you’re the Paranormal of Life, right? Can you sense where Paro is?”  
Norma closed her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, I know where he is.”  
“Let’s hurry,” Nycto urged. “I really don’t want to meet this Ymigsklo.”

Paro couldn’t explain this intense compulsion that was drawing him to the graveyard. Graveyards were okay, but not necessarily good places to hang out. Also, it felt disrespectful to the grave-ees to try to summon a demon there. It didn’t take him long to reach it, and he noticed the others near immediately. T waved for him excitedly, while Alex gave a big smile. Quentin and Daron both waved, but Alyra and Omar gave him nearly no recognition.  
“Hey Braceface,” Omar said when Paro was close enough. “We thought you weren’t going to make it.”  
“Wow, so creative Omar, you broke my heart,” Paro drily retorted. “So y’all are gonna summon a demon...here...tonight?” He looked up and it was a cloudy night with nothing more than a crescent moon.  
“What do you mean, ‘y’all’?” Alyra asked. “You’re not going to join us?”  
“Nope,” Paro replied. He walked up to a dead tree and leaned against it. “I’m a Paranormal, I ain’t fucking around with summoning a demon.” He pulled out a cigarette and lit it before sitting down.  
Alyra and Omar glared daggers at him, so he nonchalantly flipped them off. The two of them and the other began preparing the spell: Daron drew a pentagram with a stick, T laid out a ring of a surprising number of candles. Alyra and Omar were drawing symbols, and Quentin was passing out snacks and hot cocoa. When Quentin handed Paro a brownie, Paro questioned, “Is this...um...drugged?”  
“No...weed…” Quentin groaned.  
“Alright. Thanks dude,” Paro said, taking one. He munched on it as Alex walked over.  
“I’m surprised you’re not trying to stop us,” Alex said.  
“I’d be surprised if it worked,” Paro admitted.  
“Ok, fair,” Alex laughed. “We’ve only successfully summoned like, one demon, and all he did was cause a fire drill. Weak guy, but he hangs out with us sometimes.” He looked at the others. “I was sure Alyra and Omar would have warmed up to you by now.”  
“I’ve been in cliques before; it’s because I don’t put up with their manipulative bullshit,” Paro said. “I don’t do anything I don’t want to unless it’s a promise, I like the person, or they have some authority over me.” He bit his brownie, which tasted a tad weird but was okay.  
Alex stood up and says, “I’ve got to get back to helping, but for what it’s worth, I hope you feel welcome. We’d love to have you as part of our ‘clique’.” He stood up and held his hand out for a fist-bump.  
With a grin, Paro took it and bumped him back. “You’re a cool dude, Paro Jones,” Alex said before he joined the others.  
The True Goths finished setting up their summoning circle, and Alex pulled out a matchbox. He lit a match, which he used to light all of the candles. Paro rolled his eyes with amusement as the True Goths began chanting. Even Quentin, who was t half-pace but still fit the beat.  
Suddenly, Paro felt extremely uncomfortable, like his entire body were being squeezed. He looked down to see faint, spectral chains, not too unlike his own spirit chains. He tried fighting against them, but they felt like heavy iron.  
The True Goths didn’t notice his struggling, or they didn’t care. “Guys...guys!” Paro shouted. “I can’t move!”  
To his horror, his shadow darkened and stretched unnaturally under the moonlight towards the True Goths’ ritual. It connected to Omar’s shadow--who Paro only just realized was standing with his back to him. When his shadow connected, it felt like Paro’s strength was being sucked from his body.  
“Paro!” Paro heard Norma’s voice gasped. He turned and saw her, Nycto, and Miss Teri. “Thank goodness!” she hugged him, passing through the chains as if they were nothing (which they probably were). Seeing that he was struggling to move, she asked, “Wait, are you okay?”  
“Norma, I can’t move,” Paro grunted. “I think Alyra and Omar cast a spell so I’m held in place by invisible chains...also they can’t hear me.” He nodded to the True Goths.  
“They can’t hear you, huh?” Miss Teri asked. Inhaling deeply, she shouted, “STOP!”  
The True Goths suddenly stopped with alarm and turned to look at her. “Miss Teri?” T asked. “What are you guys doing here?” She seemed surprised and a bit confused, but nothing compared to the disdainful look Alura and Omar gave.  
“Trying to stop you!! Do you know what you’re summoning!?” Miss Teri asked. “Ymigsklo is a demon of terror and destruction. He’s more powerful than anything you’ve summoned before!”  
Alex looked concerned and laughed nervously. “C’mon, Teri, it’s not going to work. Alyra and Omar aren’t that powerful.”  
“They are if they’re using my brother as battery!” Norma argued, pointing to the shadow.  
With absolute panic, Alex looked at the magic siblings. “Alyra? Omar?”  
Alyra and Omar’s disdainful expressions quickly turned into smug smirks when the candles went out. “Sorry, Miss Teri,” Alyra said, “But you came a moment too late.” Immediately, the candles lit themselves with blue flames.  
Fire spread from the candles and ran along the pentagram and the symbols. Excluding Alyra and Omar, they watched in horror as the fire exploded upwards in a column of flame. Amidst the flames, a dark silhouette rose from the ground. Paro couldn’t make out too many details, but it was big, muscular, and powerful-looking. On the head, five glowing eyes appeared, and the flames blew outwards, revealing the demon.  
Ymigsklo the Destroyer was eight feet tall at most, with muscles that rivaled a bodybuilder’s. His skin was dark blue, with light blue claws on his hands, as well as light blue fangs. His ears were large, pointed, and curved inwards to his head, and he had blue-gray horns that pointed in the air. His hair and wings were made of blue flames, and he had five eyes. They glowed the same blue as his flaming hair, with white pupils that resembled a goat’s. He was nearly nude--he was bare chested with tufts of fur on his shoulders, a transparent skirt with a spiked belt and a loincloth, and spiked bracelets. His nipples were pierced with triangles, and he had a blue jewel in his belly-button.  
He was...surprisingly handsome. Aside from the demonic features (heck, even with them) he looked like he could be a professional model. But the cruel smile with the furrowed brow didn’t make him endearing. Smiling at the True Goths, he asked, “So, are you jerks the ones who summoned me?” Ymigsklo’s voice was deep, but not as demonic as Paro would have expected. He sounded like a fairly normal young man. “I assume you want to strike a deal?”  
“We want you to destroy something for us,” Omar said.  
Ymigsklo raised his left eyebrows and grinned even more. “Well, color me intrigued. What shall I destroy for you?”  
“The education system,” Alyra said. “Omar and I never have enough time to practice magic and it’s driving us nuts.”  
“Very well. If you let me out, I will destroy the education system for you,” Ymigsklo said.  
“Alyra. Omar.” Alex said. He pulled the two of them aside. “What are you thinking!? We can’t release a demon that powerful!”  
“Alex is right,” Miss Teri says. “Ymigsklo is a wily one. Summoning him never ends well. He has a talent for enticement, but as long as the candles stay lit, he’s trapped.” As she said that, Yigsklo roared with laughter and a hot wind nearly blew them all over.  
Ymigsklo flew out of his containment and leered down at them all, and they saw that Quentin was holding his thermos. “Sorry...spilled…” Quentin apologized, before Ymigsklo landed on the ground and knocked him away with a swipe of his claws.  
Ymigsklo turned to T, who was shaking, coming up until his face was right in front of hers. “Run.” He said tauntingly. Instead of running, T let out a loud, terrifying scream that blew the demon back through sheer force.   
“T!” Alex shouted. He grabbed his girlfriend and pulled her by a mausoleum, just out of sight of the demon.  
Norma, who had been watching in sheer terror, looked and saw that Paro wasn’t struggling anymore. “Um….Paro?” She asked.  
“Yeah?” Paro asked, as calmly and as monotone as ever.  
“Why aren’t you trying to get out anymore?”  
Paro shrugged (as best as he could). “They summoned their demon, let them deal with it.”  
Nycto groaned and said, “Paro, that’s not a good mentality to have, especially as the Paranormal of Death!”  
Paro huffed. “Look, I was hypnotized into coming here, magically chained to a tree, and used as a battery to summon a demon who the summoners obviously underestimated. I don’t mean to be callous...except I absolutely mean to be callous. Besides I can’t get out of these chains. I’ve been trying.” He slumped a bit. “If a demon kills me, so be it.” He thought for a moment and said, “Norma, Nycto, Miss Teri, try to get out of here before…”  
Ymigsklo stopped rubbing his ears and glared at Paro and his friends. Paro sighed, “Before exactly that happens.” He began fighting against the chains again as Ymigsklo hissed and flew at them. The Paranormals screamed and fired their magic at the demon, but to little avail. Miss Teri jumped in front of the others, and in a swirl of pages they teleported out of the demon’s path. When the other Paranormals were out of sight, Paro heard Omar whisper, “Paro, please, get rid of the demon!”  
Paro turned and glared at Omar, who was hiding behind the tree with Alyra. Alyra added, “He’s not going to stop until he destroys all of us, and then I think he’s going to tear up the city!”  
“We can let you out of the spell bur you need to take Ymgisklo down! You're the only one who can do it!" Omar said.  
Paro gave them a cold glare. "You really think I want to help you two after the way you've treated me?"  
Alyra said, "We know, we're sorry, but we really need you to defeat that demon!"  
"The only way I'm going to take on a demon is if…" his voice was cut off by a chorus of screams from voices he recognized. He saw that Ymigsklo had Norma, Nycto, and Miss Teri cornered, and Miss Teri was unconscious. "Let me out."  
"Huh?" Alyra asked.  
"LET ME OUT!" Paro shouted, his voice grumbly and horrible. He whipped his head to her and his eyes were solid black. In shock, and a bit of fear, Alyra waves her hands and the chains dissolved. Paro stood up, stretched a bit, then charged at Ymigsklo at top speed, before jumping in the air and kicking Ymigsklo as hard as he could. Ymigsklo was much larger than Paro was, but the force and surprise knocked Ymigsklo far to the side.  
After hitting the ground, Ymigsklo stood up again and whirled around, his hair a blazing inferno. “You dare attack me!?” the demon roared, his voice loud and cacophonic (and actually fairly demonic at that point).  
“Death Strike,” Paro said calmly. A short beam of dark black energy shot out from his hand and hit Ymigsklo. It didn’t do much except make the demon even angrier. He moved at a surprisingly slow speed, and knelt down when he was close to Paro.   
With a wicked grin, Ymigsklo said“You’re cute. Makes me almost regret that I’m going to kill you.”  
"Can't kill Death," Paro said calmly before spinning around and kicking Ymigsklo his chin and knocked his head back. As Ymigsklo flipped back, Paro commented, "But I can appreciate the sentiment."  
Ymigsklo growled and kicked Paro back. Since he was bigger and much stronger, Paro flew back pretty far, bouncing off the ground painfully. Paro stood up with a bit of a struggle, and groaned. "Okay, this isn't working." He focused his energy and summoned his Spirit Chains. He threw out his hand, directing the chains to wrap around Ymigsklo. He watched as the chains flew straight at Ymigsklo...and right through him.  
"Huh?" Paro asked in confusion. He was weak, and Ymigsklo was approaching, but luckily Ymigsklo was taking his sweet time so Paro was able to open Shadow. "Shadow, why aren't my chains working?"  
They're Spirit chains, Paro, Shadow wrote. They only work on beings with souls. Demons do not have souls. Paro could just feel the sarcasm radiating off her pages. She continued, focus your power and you can make your chains powerful enough to work.  
Paro sighed and put Shadow away, before closing his eyes and clenching his fists. When he opened them again, he was holding black chains. But unlike his usual chains, these ones radiated a red aura.  
Ymigsklo leapt at Paro, and reactively, Paro threw the chain. It curved around Ymigsklo's neck by itself before the end became a...shackle collar of sorts. Ymigsklo didn't seem to notice, until Paro spun around and swung the demon like a flail. Ymigsklo was yanked off course and flew in a curve until he hit a mausoleum. He sat there for a moment, dazed, then spread his wings and flew in the air.  
"Oh no you don't," Paro growled. He transformed into the Deathly Crow and flew into the air after Ymigsklo, quickly catching up.  
When he was a fair distance away, Paro yanked on the chains, pulling Ymigsklo to him at a rapid speed. When Ymigsklo was close, Paro pulled on the chain and kicked him in the gut. Ymigsklo dropped from the pain and surprise, but Paro used the momentum to swing him back up and punch him.  
This time, Ymigsklo managed to strike Paro back, pushing him back in the air. Paro spread his wings out to stop, but used the momentum again to pull Ymigsklo and hit him.  
Growling, Ymigsklo grabbed the chain and yanked on Paro. Paro didn't resist abd even flew at Ymigsklo, hitting him with extra force. Ymigsklo rubbed his cheek as Paro flew above him. Paro grabbed the chain with both hands and yanked as hard as he could to pull Ymigsklo up. This time, he wrapped the chain around the demon several times and flapped his wings to fly downwards, even creating a small sonic boom.  
"You're crazy!" Ymigsklo growled.  
Paro shrugged. "Maybe. Probably. But I'm also not going to give up." They crashed i to the ground, a miraculous distance from the graveyard, making a crater. Standing on top of Ymigsklo, Paro knelt down and held him by the chains. "Your reign of terror is over! Over, you understand!?" He began shaking Ymigsklo so that his head hit the ground each time. "Un. Der. Stand!?"  
"OW! Alright, alright, fine. Okay!" Ymigsklo growled. Suddenly, the chain's red aura turned blue, and dissolved. Ymigsklo still just lay there. "Get off of me!"  
Paro glared at him then then hopped to climb out of the hole. Ymigsklo made no attempt to follow. As he walked, Paro noted that the sun was starting to rise again. He joined the other Paranormals, who were supporting a now-awake but still woozy Miss Teri. Paro commented, "Wow, Miss Teri! I didn't know you were a Paranormal!"  
"Yep," Miss Teri grunted, rubbing her head. She yawned and said, "I'll tell you more after I get some sleep."  
"We're just going to take her to Al's house and call her parents," Norma explained.  
Paro nodded, then saw the True Goths standing together. T and Alex were holding Alyra and Omar by their arms. And Alyra and Omar looked surprisingly meek. When he walked over, the siblings said, "We're sorry, Paro. We didn't realize it would get so out of hand."  
Paro raised his eyebrow. "Right, because magically manipulating me to be your battery wouldn't have consequences. Geez, you two are just...terrible." the two of them cringed at his words.  
Alex stepped up and said, "Paro, I swear the rest of us didn't know they were actually going to try to really summon Ymigsklo."  
"Yeah right," Paro said. "Trixany used her Banshee/Siren powers to get me here, abd Quentin was the one who gave me the brownie, not to mention free the demon. I'm not sure what actually constitutes as 'true goth' but I don't want any part of it." He walked away, and none of the True Goths said anything in response.  
After Paro joined his friends, and the True Goths went to their own homes, Ymigsklo sighed and climbed out of the hole. He had to get going before the damage from the fight was found. Standing still, he held out his arms and was enveloped in blue flames. When the flames died he was a large, though slightly smaller human. "Noe where did Paro go?" He asked himself, before walking off to find him.


End file.
